Psychique Femme: Avenger Number 7
by The Moonlight's Secret
Summary: Riley Harrow is your typical, average woman with one small exception: She's only half human. Her father was banned from Asgard to Earth before Thor was even born. Now SHIELD has requested that she join the Avengers Initiative to help stop the God of Mischief from taking over the planet. But the fact this half-blood is part Asgardian does not go unnoticed by Loki. Eventually Loki/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you see but Riley Harrow; everything belongs to the amazing Stan Lee._

_..._

"Sounds like you already have your hands full. Why do you need me?"

"We need as much help as possible."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"We always know."

"I'm surprised you didn't send one of your agents."

"I figured this case might need to be handled delicately."

Riley snuck a short glance up from her computer screen to scan over Nick Fury's face. He was a tall, well-built black man with severe yet calm eyes…or eye, rather, as one of them was hidden beneath an eye patch. He wore an oversized inky jacket that was most certainly making him sweat in the humidity; Riley had already offered once for him to take it off, but he ignored her bid.

"And yet I doubt you're here alone," said Riley as her eyes returned to her work, making it appear as though she were busy, but in actuality, she hadn't written a single sentence on the word document.

"Would my answer do anything to steer you toward a 'yes' or 'no' answer to my proposition?"

"Probably not."

"Then that's none of your concern."

Riley leaned back in her office chair and folded her hands behind her back, all of her attention now focused on him. "I'm a writer, sir. Not a superhero."

"I don't need a hero. I need someone who cares enough about their planet to defend it…Unless, that is, the only planet someone cares about is the one they aren't currently living on."

Riley's eyes narrowed. "So Coulson _has_ told you, then."

Agent Phil Coulson was one of the first to try and recruit Riley a while time ago, when she was first revealed as a 'demigod' of sorts. She hadn't been altogether concerned with her past, as she already knew enough: Her father was banished to Earth for reasons unbeknownst to her, where he met and fell in love with her mother, who gave birth to Riley. She'd died during the birth, which was the first puzzle piece of many that suggested Riley would not be a normal mortal child.

Her powers, however, did not nearly amount to her father's, let alone any god or being on Asgard. She was what humans might call 'psychic' in some manners. She could manipulate objects to move to an extent, and she could read some emotions and auras, but not direct thoughts that people were thinking. She preferred to keep these under wraps, however, as she had learned growing up that people with said powers were often heavily questioned experimented on, and used for government purposes.

The first one she had heard of was "Captain America", a man who had been frozen into the ice a long time ago, but had served his purpose at the time well. The second one was Tony Stark, a man who openly announced that he was "Iron Man," after some disputes spread over a man in a metal suit. She knew the most about him, as he was constantly showing up on the television for various things.

Riley herself was first discovered for her 'abilities' when she was visiting France on a business trip. A man named Clive was being experimented on in France, as people were hoping to mimic what had happened with Captain America, but things took a turn for the worse. Whatever chemicals they were using were clearly not the right thing, as he became a maniac of sorts, hungry for power, and lost control of his very mind. Riley had only just arrived in from London when chaos was ensuing in France, and she ended up, curiosity getting the better of her, in an all-out battle with Clive. It wasn't exactly an amazing superhero fight, but by the end of it, Clive was defeated, and Riley was left with a decent amount of scars.

She wasn't altogether too happy about his death, considering he was just insane from the power, but the people in France were certainly pleased by her actions. Thankfully, they didn't know who she was, as she wore a large black traveling cloak over herself during the fight, in hopes that no one would notice her identity. They called her "Psychique Femme," which apparently meant "Psychic Woman" in French. The name stuck, and Agent Phil Coulson soon approached her, requesting that she join "SHIELD." She agreed to it and began working for Coulson for a small duration of time, but it wasn't long before things began to go wrong: She was unintentionally exploding/breaking things under strong emotions, accidentally injuring people, losing control, etc. She and SHIELD decided that as the full extent of her powers were unknown, she could become hazardous, and it was time that she retire from it, to avoid harming anyone.

"Yes, and from what he's told me about you," said Fury, picking up a stapler on her desk and examining it absentmindedly, "you were a pretty reliable, good worker at SHIELD. I'm glad to finally get the chance to meet you."

"He was lying," said Riley firmly, looking the man directly in his one eye. "There was a reason I stopped working there, you know."

"I know."

A short pause commenced.

"So let me get this straight. This… 'Tesseract' has fallen into the wrong hands, and you want _me_ to help get it back," said Riley.

"Yes. But the other thing is…" Fury put down the stapler and began to pace about the room, but his one good eye was still on her, "the guy we're dealing with is from another planet."

Riley raised one eyebrow at him.

"Coulson also tells me you're not quite human."

Riley smirked. "Took him having to tell you that to realize—?"

"The man's name is Loki," Fury interrupted, "and he's from Asgard, your home planet. Ringing any bells?"

"Loki?" Riley racked her brain to remember. She'd never actually _been_ to the planet Asgard before, since her father had been banished, but she'd heard stories about it. Word from SHIELD was that the mighty god Thor had actually come to Earth, then returned to Asgard to duel with his brother…Loki! "Oh, yeah, Thor's brother. Didn't Thor go back home when the whole situation was resolved?"

"Sort of…but that's not important."

"Then what is?"

"Loki is the one I was talking about before, the man with the Tesseract. I've already told you about the Avengers Initiative, and Coulson thinks we should bring you into it, but…"

"But?" Riley prompted.

"But I'm afraid you might just start a family dispute," Fury finished.

Riley stared at him, dumbfounded. "Loki isn't related to me in any way, nor is Thor. How would recruiting me start some 'family dispute'?"

"You're from the same planet. Coulson says your father was banned from it, but you don't know why. Am I wrong to assume that you might become…curious?"

Riley removed her hands from the back of her head and they traveled back to rest under her chin. "I don't think the first thing I'll do when I meet him is ask if he knows anything about my family tree, sir."

"Good." Fury had finally stopped pacing. "Then you're up for it?"

Riley hesitated. On one hand, the thought of getting back into the business, of doing something right, sounded like music to her ears, but on the other, there was a dark stir of concern. What if she lost control again? She wasn't a god, she wasn't brought up around any, and she didn't know how to use her powers like she should. And then there was what Fury had just brought up…What if curiosity _did _eventually get the best of her?

"God of Mischief, right?" said Riley.

"That's him," Fury confirmed.

Riley grinned. "Well then, in that case, we might just get along. I'm in."

…

In all her time at SHIELD, Riley could not remember a time when she'd ever been on a ship so large. She didn't like it. Tons of people were scurrying around, talking into earpieces and carrying folders here and there. The entire thing appeared to be made of metal, with an abundance of fighter jets landing on it. The whole area made Riley queasy…She disliked the idea of being cramped in anywhere, even on such a large ship, in the middle of a vast ocean. There were too many emotions, too many thoughts buzzing about everywhere, all meshing together and making her head hurt.

"Ah! Miss Harrow," said a recognizable voice; Riley looked over her shoulder to see Coulson approaching, and the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach dissolved. _Finally, a familiar face._

"Hi, Phil!" Riley extended her hand to him, relieved. "How are you?"

"Very good. I've missed seeing you around at SHIELD, you know."

"Ditto…But you know why I left," she added in a lower tone.

"Yes…well, I'm glad to have you back on board." He flashed her a warm smile.

"Speaking of being onboard…Mind if I go inside for a drink or something? I think I need to sit down..."

"No, not at all. But first—" he added, and Riley groaned; she wished her hadn't added those last two words. "—I'd like you to meet some of your team."

He guided her over to a group of three people, already engaged in conversation. When she appeared beside them, they looked up from their exchange and their eyes rested on Riley, who self-consciously turned her own gaze away.

"Hello," said the man on the left; the first thing Riley noticed about him was that he was very well-built physically, with strong arms and fists that she had a feeling she would never want to quarrel with. With a handsome face, blond hair and bright cerulean eyes, he was definitely not going to be easy to talk to. Outfit wise, he looked as though he had stripped the American flag off its pole and had made it into an outfit.

"Steve Rogers. Er—Captain," said Riley, nodding at him as he shook her hand and hoping she wasn't flushing red. She noted that his grip was very firm and his hands were rough. _Yeah, I'm really glad he's on our side, _she thought.

"Riley Harrow," returned the Captain with a smile.

"Or Psychique Femme," Riley added.

"Gesundheit. You sure got the people in France riled up with that fight between you and that psycho guy."

"Yeah, I suppose. And you—" Riley tried to recall all the information she'd been fed about the Avengers; Fury had offered her a full profile of each of them, broadcasting screens with fights they'd been through and information about their pasts. _Wait, I already knew who he was, _she reminded herself. "—you were the first hero. Ice dude."

The Captain nodded his acknowledgement and Riley turned to the next Avenger, who was a female. A _gorgeous _one at that…For a second, Riley felt almost out of place beside her, like a peasant standing in the presence of a goddess. She had flaming red hair, striking blue eyes, and full lips. As for her attire, she was equipped in a skin-tight black outfit outlining her perfect figure that made Riley question whether the woman was suffocating in it or not.

"Hello, Harrow," said the woman in an almost melodious voice.

"Hey, Agent," said Riley, subconsciously testing out and comparing her own voice. "Natasha Romanoff, right?" _Otherwise known as the Black Widow._

"Yes. Are you from England?"

Riley blinked. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Your accent. It's British," said Natasha, and Riley opened her mouth to reply, but her mind could not construct the right thing to say. Instead, she merely nodded awkwardly. "I see. That was probably in your profile; I must have missed it."

The third man Riley recognized as Dr. Banner. He had brown hair and eyes to match, and he looked as though he could use a good night's sleep, but the thing that struck Riley as odd was the aura he was emitting. It was very strong, and Riley sensed a strange combination of calamity and anger. How did those two emotions even mix?

"Hi," said Riley, smiling more than she should be in spite of herself. Secretly, she had wanted to meet the infamous "Hulk" more than anyone else. It had something to do with the fact that she was taken out of SHIELD for being reckless and uncontrollable, something they shared in common. She had a feeling his own situation was probably ten times worse, however, as she was born this way and his own powers had stemmed from radiation. And not to mention the fact that he turned into the Not-So-Jolly-Green Giant whenever he was angered.

"Dr. Bruce Banner," he answered, reaching out to take her hand. She hesitated before taking it, but to her surprise, his grip was not painful, like she had expected. _Apparently it's only when he's the green guy, _she thought.

"Miss Harrow," Bruce replied, returning the smile. "It's a pleasure to-"

"Gentlemen, you may wanna step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath," said Natasha suddenly, breaking into their conversation; she was glancing over the edge of the ship.

Riley frowned, realizing that she had addressed them all as "Gentlemen." _Just a mistake, don't get all hot-headed over nothing, _she hastily reminded herself.

Suddenly, the Helicarrier started shaking violently from below. Riley peered over the side of it curiously to see the turbines spinning more and more rapidly, the machinery groaning as it did so.

"Is this is a submarine?" said the Captain.

"Really? They wanted me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" said Dr. Banner.

"I hear you there," said Riley, sincerely hoping that the Captain was wrong.

Together, they edged closer to the edge of the Helicarrier and watched, in awe, as it started to lift into the air.

"Oh, no. This is much worse," said Dr. Banner, smiling slightly.

"We're going to…fly?" Riley demanded, her jaw dropping to the floor. She had to admit, being up in the air was at least better than being cramped underneath the surface of the water, where she could drown any second. But then, there was also the idea of falling…

_Stop being such a pessimist, _Riley told herself. _Just…relax._

"Let's disappear," said Fury.

As the great ship…or, plane…or whatever lifted into the air, they were escorted inside. But what stole the entire show was that some sort of device surrounded the entire vessel, vanishing them from sight. Completely. Invisible.

"Okay, that was cool," Riley admitted.

"Gentlemen," said Fury.

Without looking at Fury, Captain America reached into his pocket and handed him a ten dollar bill.

Fury said nothing, but rather turned to Dr. Banner. "Doctor, thank you for coming."

"Thanks for asking nicely," Dr. Banner acknowledged. "So, uh...how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear."

"Where are you with that?"

Fury pointed to Coulson.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us," said Coulson.

"That'll take forever," Riley pointed out.

"She's right. That's still not gonna find them in time," Natasha contributed.

"You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?" said Dr. Banner.

"How many are there?" asked Fury.

"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?" Dr. Banner added.

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please."

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys."

Once the pair of them had exited the room, Fury turned his attention to Riley.

"Glad you gave in so easily."

Riley snorted. "I didn't _'give in'_. I just...wanted a thrill. I haven't been able to really use my powers for while beyond bringing my coffee mug to my desk, so you can imagine I'm pretty pumped."

"Well, keep in mind that this is all business. We can't joke around right now."

"Could we ever?" said Riley, leaning against the wall behind her. "Anyway, so what are we doing now? Trying to locate where Loki is?"

"Precisely. We're using satellite facial recognition."

Riley nodded, but inside she questioned whether it would actually work. She had a feeling Loki wasn't exactly going to be casually wandering around in the open.

"I mean, if it's not too much trouble," said Coulson's voice. Riley turned her head to look at him. He was engaged in a deep conversation with the Captain, who seemed far less interested in it than Coulson.

"No, no. It's fine."

"It's a vintage set. It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint, slight foxing around the edges, but..."

"We got a hit," one of the agents interrupted. "Sixty seven percent match. Weight, cross match, seventy nine percent."

_Oh. _If they had already found Loki, then he clearly didn't care if he was found. Or…maybe he _wanted _to be found. The thought made her stomach stir uneasily.

"Location?" said Coulson.

"Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain, you're up," said Fury.

The Captain simply nodded to him and went after Agent Romanoff, presumably to the plane. They were already going in for the action? Riley turned expectantly to Fury, her expression no doubt lit with excitement.

Fury rolled his eyes...or, eye. "Yeah, you go, too. Just don't do anything stupid."

Offended but pleased, Riley turned and raced off after the Captain, a swirl of excitement arising inside of her. She was finally going to be able to use her powers again! It felt like an eternity since she had last battled Clive, and now she was alive with exhilaration.

_Watch out, 'God of Mischief', _she thought excitedly as she caught up to the Captain and Natasha. _Here I come._

...

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter as much as I did writing it! The next should be up fairly soon, I promise._


	2. Chapter 2

"He's supposed to be somewhere around here, right? Is he still in the building?"

"Wait, I see him! There he is, on the stairs."

"What's he doing? Look at all of the people running around..."

"I dunno, but whatever it is, it's stirring up a pretty big commotion," said Riley, leaning forward and squinting at the scene below. She could make out a very large crowd of people, all scattering about, bolting in all directions as they fled for their life. Even from high above, she could make out a man's loud, demanding shout: "I said. _Kneel!"_

Riley gave an involuntary shiver at the command, not for the words so much as the way it was said. The voice, so authoritative and malicious sounding, was clearly spoken from the God of Mischief...

"Ready Captain?" she asked uneasily.

"Hold on, we need to move in a bit closer," said the Captain, who was now decked out in his entire uniform of red white and blue. One by one, the people below all crouched down low, terrified. Riley could just make out the figure of Loki, but before she could make a move, the Captain pulled her back.

"We need a plan."

"Jump down and go after him," said Riley. "I thought that was kind of obvious."

The Captain shot her an annoyed look. "We need to think before we do anything rash—"

"Fine, then. What's _your_ plan?"

The Captain thought for a moment. "I'll go down first and try to stay out of sight, and then if you come down after me, you can distract him—"

"Hold that thought," said Riley; she was peering down at the scene, where a daring old man had gotten to his feet. He was conversing with Loki, saying things she could not hear from the plane, but one thing was immediately made clear as Loki raised the staff-like object in his hand—

"Okay, new plan," said the Captain, and without another word, he dropped from the back door of the plane. He fell surprisingly fast, and the second he landed, he deflected the blinding azure blast with his shield, causing it to bounce back at Loki.

_Strong shield, _thought Riley, and she followed suit, doing her best to not faceplant on the ground. She landed directly next to the Captain, steadying herself as she got a good look of Loki.

Loki wore an overly-smug and superior grin on his pale face. He was fairly tall and had slicked back jet-black that spiked slightly at the ends, piercingly bottle green, icy eyes, and devilishly handsome features that made Riley remember that he was a god. He was very lean-figured, with pointed features and dark rings under his eyes that suggested lack of sleep. He wore distinct golden armor that Riley could only guess was what royalty on Asgard wore, topped off with a horned helmet. So this was what the people there looked like?

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier. A man out of time," said Loki. His voice, like melted, icy velvet, sent a shiver down Riley's spine. _Odd combination._

"I'm not the one who's out of time," The Captain corrected.

With a small smirk at the man, Loki's eyes settled on the woman standing beside the patriotic fool. What struck him as odd was that the human looked strangely familiar…She didn't_ nearly_ live up to the standards of the many breathtaking goddesses back home on Asgard, so he was certain there was no place he could have seen her before. She had long, dark mousy brown hair and even darker brown eyes. She was very average as far as appearances go, with a fairly decent face, but there was something oddly intriguing about the woman…Maybe it was the fact that her eyes almost seemed to look into him, into his mind, but then, maybe not…

Riley realized Loki was staring at her and she swallowed hard, clenching her fists together. The aura he was emitting was puzzlingly cold, resentful, and curious. She couldn't, however, see anything beyond said emotions, which was odd, as it was usually fairly easy to read people. But then again, she'd never tried it on a god before.

Without warning, Agent Natasha Romanoff appeared in one of SHIELD'S aircrafts, hovering in the air above them, and pointed a machine gun towards Loki.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down," Natasha's booming voice ordered.

_Bad idea, _thought Riley.

Loki suddenly attacked the Captain and blasted him violently with his scepter, knocking him down. The crowd took the opportunity to begin running, fleeing in all directions to get away.

"Kneel!" Loki ordered.

"Not today!"

The Captain made a fairly impressive flip backwards and knocked Loki away from him, sending him spiraling into the ground. He had begun to stand again, raising his scepter menacingly, but he was promptly knocked harshly away again by a fallen lamppost, making a loud _Clang! _as it made impact with the god.

Loki looked up in a daze of sorts, glad that he was wearing a helmet, and spotted his target: The woman from before had her hands out in front of her as though in combat, moving them slightly from left to right, conducting the lamppost.

"Peculiar and yet familiar," said Loki softly, resting his gaze on Riley. "And you are _who_ exactly?"

Riley realized that Loki was addressing her, but her words caught in her throat. "Who—who wants to know?" she demanded stupidly, dropping her hands to her sides.

But at that precise moment, Captain America had decided to attack again, taking a swipe at Loki with his shield. Loki retaliated with his staff, and the two engaged in combat, fists and glowing balls of blue light flying left and right.

As Riley began controlling the objects nearby again, she thought hard. What were some of the powers she had used before in her fight against Clive, back in France. She already knew that she could manipulate items at her will, but there was something else…Ah! She remembered, by concentrating hard on her target, she could create sphere-like, crimson balls of light from her hands, which usually did a fair amount of damage. _And for crying out loud, you can fight without powers! _She reminded herself. Natasha could easily take down men by just flipping them, punching, and kicking. Why couldn't she?

Riley ambushed Loki from behind, taking a swift kick at his back, but he swung around just in time and knocked her onto the ground roughly. She landed heavily with a gasp of air.

_Okay, scratch that, _she thought, wincing.

Loki smirked down at her, raising the scepter, and placed one of his boots firmly onto her, pinning her down. _"Kneel."_

"Like hell I will!" Riley retorted, already annoyed with his cockiness. She limply raised one hand. Immediately, she felt something powerful and familiarly strong surge through her veins, up to the palms of her hands, which grew hot. Just as she had hoped, a scarlet ball of luminosity formed and detonated into Loki, flinging him off of her. She rolled out of the way and got back up on her feet, winded but pleased.

Loki held up the scepter, looking between Riley and Captain America as if deciding who he disliked more, but before he could do anything, he was once again blasted back by a powerful force, sending the scepter out of his hands; none other than Iron Man had arrived, equipped in his red and gold suit. Riley recognized his outfit from his profile.

All at once, a dozen different bullets and weapons popped up out of his suit with faint clicking noises, aimed directly for Loki's head.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games."

Looking less displeased than he probably should have, Loki very slowly raised his hands in surrender, and as he did so, the royal clothing on him dissolved away into regular robes.

"Good move," said Tony, and the bullets returned to his suit.

"Mr. Stark," said the Captain, who also looked out of breath.

"Captain. And…?" The Iron suit turned slightly to face Riley.

"Psychique Femme," said Riley, her eyes still on Loki.

"Come again?"

"It's-"

"Now's not the time," said the Captain sharply, and Riley shut her mouth.

Riley stared suspiciously at Loki with what she hoped was a blank look, trying to detect anything as far as his thoughts. Nothing. She could make out a fairly calm aura, which was odd, considering the fact that he was just caught. And why was he surrendering in the first place, when he could easily get his weapon back and take them all down right then and there?

Loki could see the woman watching him cautiously again—her expression showed nothing of interest, but he knew she was scrutinizing him mistrustfully. In return, he simply flashed her a bold smile, watching her reaction closely.

Riley's blood turned to ice as Loki's lips curved up into a smile at her, his eyes locked on hers. What was he playing at? She forced herself to look away.

They returned to the ship, with Loki following quietly and obediently behind, and took their seats. Everyone mostly found spaces as far away from Loki as they could, as though he might spring up any second and attack them, and Riley realized the only open space was directly across from the God of Lies. She sank into the seat quietly, fully avoiding Loki's eyes now, but she could feel him watching her, in the way a predator might stalk its prey, his eyes shooting flaming daggers into her skin.

Riley was able to see Tony's face now, since he had removed his metal mask. His eyes were almost the same brown color of his hair if not darker, and he had a very relaxed/blasé aura surrounding him.

"So, who's this one?" said Tony from the front of the ship, gesturing to Riley. "I don't think I quite got your name. Bit of a mouthful."

Riley answered without looking up. "Didn't you do your homework?"

Tony smirked "Yeah, I did my readings. You must be Riley Harrow, then, right?"

"That's right."

Tony snorted. "Riley. Isn't that more of a name you might give a dog?"

Riley felt a hot, bright red color cross her face. "I didn't choose it."

"I may as well just call you Spot or Buddy or something."

Riley grit her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to reach over and smack him so hard that he would see stars, but she knew it wouldn't do any good to get into a fight. "Sure," she said begrudgingly.

_Ah, Harrow! So that's it, _thought Loki, grinning internally at his discovery. How could he not have known before? He knew there was something familiar about the human, but now he was able to place it: She was only _half _human. He remembered Odin—the name burned his tongue to utter it, and even his mind resented the its presence in his thoughts—telling him and Thor once when they were young about a man named Axis Harrow. He'd been banned from their planet before Loki was even born, but there were rumors that, while on earth, he had pathetically fallen like Thor had for a human female, and the woman had given birth to his daughter...

So _this_ was the 'famous' (Or rather, infamous) Harrow? The one talked about, the half-breed with mixed blood of one of a demigod and a human? For having god blood in her, she certainly didn't look the part. While most women on Asgard had gorgeous features and figures, this girl looked to be like any regular human. Had it not been for the strange way that her eyes seemeed to peer into him (That in itself annoyed him), he would have thought her another dull creature. But it explained why she was able to use powers no human could do without the help of some sort of chemical.

Loki sneered. He could use this newfound knowledge to his advantage, of course, and the half-blood would surely crumble under him like a dry leaf. He just needed the proper moment…

"Isn't it also more of a guy's name?" said Tony, breaking into Loki's thoughts.

Riley clenched her hands onto the seat beneath her, making her knuckles go white. "Keep it up, Stark. I dare you."

Tony put his hands up in front of him in defense. "Take a joke, Harrow." He paused for a second and Riley relaxed a fraction. "And you're a Brit, huh?" he added.

Riley got to her feet, took a deep breath, and wandered over to the front of the plane, hoping he couldn't tell how much he was getting to her. Between Loki's ominous stares and Tony's rude remarks, she knew it would be better to just move away and let it go, before things could get the chance to turn ugly.

_Ah, and there's that, _Loki thought, his eyes following her as she stormed off, her hair flying behind her. _What happens when you combine a superior species with a wretched, useless one? Let's test that theory. _He wondered if it was anything like the other monster, and how easily she could be riled up...

"I don't like it," said Captain America suddenly.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" said Tony.

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you were pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

Riley raised her eyebrows at Tony, bemused.

"What?" said the Captain.

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in."

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

"I've gathered," said Riley, and both of them turned to look at her.

"Meaning…?" said the Captain.

Riley shrugged. "He didn't seem like a very open person when he came to recruit me. Didn't answer a lot of my questions."

"Yeah, he tends to do t—" Tony began, but the plane suddenly gave a violent shake, knocking Riley over.

"Where's this coming from?" said Natasha, peering out at the storm as she tried to keep the aircraft running.

Riley couldn't help but sneak a glance back at Loki, who looked strangely uneasy.

"No storms on As—er—where you came from?" said Riley, and Loki gazed up at her silently. If she mentioned Asgard, she might accidentally tip him off more about who she was. She preferred that he not know, remembering what Fury had said about curiosity getting the better of her.

"What's the matter?" said Tony, also taking notice of the man's troubled expression. "Scared of a little lightning?"

Loki turned his gaze away from Riley to look at him. "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Without warning, the plane shook aggressively in the storm. There was a sudden dull clunking sound atop the roof of the plane, and Riley jerked her head upright, as if expecting to see something there. She frowned. _What was that?_

There was a sudden _CRASH! _The plane was torn open violently by what looked like (Although it was hard to tell in the dark of night) a…hammer? Riley jumped back a step in alarm, putting up her hands as she prepared to duel.

A dark silhouette stepped inside, but Riley could tell right away it was no regular human man. He had a rough look about him, with very messy, dirt-smeared blond hair that looked untamed and as though it hadn't been brushed in a while. He had stubble on his face and he had an insanely muscular build. His attire consisted of armor, much like Loki's, and a long cape. His expression did not suggest he was very friendly, and, with a murderous look, he seized Loki as if he were nothing more than a sack of flower, and leapt back out again.

"And now there's that guy," Tony calmly.

"Another Asgardian?" suggested Natasha.

"Oh, then maybe I'll have better luck with this one," said Riley.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" asked the Captain.

"Doubt it," said Riley, "considering he just basically let our captive out."

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost," said Tony.

Tony tugged on his metal mask and, in one swift move, pulled open the exit door, prepared to jump.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" the Captain insisted as the howling wind rushed into the room, causing all of their hair to blow back.

"I have a plan," said Tony flatly. "Attack."

Iron Man jumped out of the plane and vanished from sight, but Riley could hear the engines on his suit power up as he sped away. Clearly annoyed, the Captain headed over to the parachutes and snatched one off the wall, tugging it on.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," said Natasha, watching him suit up.

"I don't see how I can."

"These guys come from legends, they're basically Gods."

"There's only one God ma'am," said the Captain. "And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

And without another word, the Captain leapt from the aircraft after Tony.

"What about you, Harrow?" said Natasha to Riley. "I presume you're going, too?"

"Well, maybe I can reason with the other 'god', if he's from Asgard," said Riley, also grabbing a parachute. "I mean, I _am _half of one."

Riley could hear the wind whistling sharply in her ears as she plummeted downwards, equipped with the parachute. She struggled to open it, and as she did so, she spotted Loki not far away from where she planned to land, deep in conversation with the man from the plane. As she landed on the rocky terrain, she tore the parachute off of her body and climbed up the side of the steep incline, over to where the pair argued.

"Listen well, brother," said the man, and Riley knew right away who he was: _Thor. _How could she not have known? Obviously the only other Asgardian here on Earth would be him.

But suddenly, before he could continue, a powerful, brightly lit force collided with Thor at top speed, carrying him into the forest area below. As the two tumbled down, Riley realized it was Tony.

"I'm listening," said Loki.

"Aw, shit," Riley groaned, watching as the pair knocked over several trees as if they were paper. _This is just what we need: Another fight. And who's watching Loki? _She didn't fancy the idea of babysitting the god but, to her surprise, when she looked back at him, he was casually lying down on the rocks, watching his brother and Iron Man squabble, a smile painted on his face. "May as well get down there…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki spotted the half-blood again, heading down for the area where Thor and the other man were fighting. He grinned; this could get interesting.

Riley picked her way through the forest, shoving fallen branches aside, and came to a halt a few feet away from where they were arguing. She moved back a step into the shadows, shielding herself from view behind a nearby tree.

"Do not touch me again," said Thor threateningly.

"Then don't take my stuff," said Tony.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Uh...Shakespeare in the park," Tony guessed. "Doth mother know, you weareth her drapes?"

Riley couldn't help but cover a grin at that last comment; she was glad that she wasn't the only one Tony was teasing.

"This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice."

"He gives up the cube and he's all yours. Until then, stay out of the way," said Tony, turning his back to Thor. For a moment, Thor looked as though he might do just that, but then Tony added under his breath, "Tourist!"

Big mistake.

Thor thrust his hammer at Tony with all his might, sparking the start of another fight. Tony flew back into the tree Riley stood behind and collapsed for a moment on the ground, springing up merely seconds later, ready to duel. Riley sprang out of the way just in time as the tree tumbled to the ground.

_"Really now!"_ said Riley, stepping out of the shadows to join the fight. She raised one hand and both Tony and Thor, who were running full-speed at each other, were flung backwards by an invisible force. However, instead of breaking apart as she had hoped, Thor turned his attention on her, readying the hammer with a glowering look. The he hesitated.

"What?" said Riley, raising her hands again, preparing to defend herself.

"You are a woman," said Thor in a thick accent, lowering the hammer. "I won't—"

Tony took this opportunity to hit Thor with one of the blasts from his palms, sending Thor through at least three trees, all of which groaned and tipped over, crashing down so hard that they shook the ground.

"_Stark!" _Riley snarled, raising her hands in his direction. Behind him, a tree fell sideways and collapsed onto Tony, smashing him into the ground. Unfazed, he pried himself up and shot another powerful blast at _her_ this time, knocking her off of her feet. She landed heavily on the ground with a gasp, and she felt warm blood form on her lower lip.

"Stay out of it, Spot," Tony warned, tossing lighter fluid on the fire already burning up inside of her.

When she sat back up, Thor and Tony were at it again, but this time, when Riley began firing balls of flaming light into them, she finally caught Thor's attention, and instead of hesitating, he threw his hammer directly at her.

Riley kicked it away swiftly, feeling a throbbing pain erupt in the base of her foot. She ducked the next two but the third throw hit her hard on the head, and she staggered slightly, then crumpled on the ground. Her head was throbbing in pain, but she was glad to still be conscious.

Loki was thoroughly enjoying the little quarrel that had broken out below; he watched as the three of them fought back and forth, taking turns in a way, wearing themselves out. Riley was demonstrating now full use of her powers, the ones that the Asgardian blood gave her, and he wondered whether Thor knew about it or not. Probably not. The dim-witted fool wasn't as sharp when it came to these sort of things...At that moment, Thor's hammer swung heavily into Riley's head and she collapsed, falling into the grass.

_Weak, _thought Loki, both annoyed with his brother and contented. _Just what you'd expect from someone of mixed blood._

Vaguely, through her blurred vision and pounding head, Riley heard Captain America's voice shout angrily, "Hey! That's enough!"

"Thanks, Cap," said Riley, holding her head as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here."

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" said Thor.

"Then prove it. Put that hammer down."

"Uh...yep! No! Bad call! He loves his hammer!" Tony yelled back.

There was a smacking sound of Thor's hammer on metal, and Riley blinked just in time to see Tony go flying time he didn't get back up.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" said Thor, his voice aggressive.

_Uh-oh._

Thor leapt at Steve, his hammer at the ready, and he struck down on the captain. Hard. However, just in time, he held up his shield to protect himself and instead Thor soared backwards, tumbling into the grass and earning stains on his burgundy cape.

Simultaneously, all four of them got to their feet.

"Are we done here?" demanded the Captain.

Riley nodded. "Let's hope so," she said, out of breath, feeling beads of sweat running down her neck. _Damn...I'm _seriously _out of practice..._

She wasn't in the least bit surprised to see that Loki was still in the same place he had been before, ready to be picked up again by them. _It's almost like he _wants _to be captured, _she thought with a frown. But that couldn't be right...What reason could he possibly have to wantto be taken captive by them? Loki just dripped with suspicion...

And she wanted to send the scepter through Loki's head when she saw him grinning at her again.

...

_Finally done! Hope you enjoyed, and any comments/reviews are appreciated._


	3. Chapter 3

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me," said Loki. Once back on the ship, Fury had him locked away into a large glass cage, one that would not be very easy to break out of, as it had a one-way trip to certain death: Plummeting down from the sky.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard."

Loki gazed up at the camera that Riley was watching the interrogation through, and it was as though he was looking directly at them. She swallowed hard and continued to watch the monitor.

"The mindless beast, makes play to be the man," said Loki. He paused. "How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you."

Lost creatures. _Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before, Loki, _Riley thought, settling herself into a chair to watch.

"How desperate am I?" said Fury, who was pacing slightly outside of the glass, watching Loki with a sharp look. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me _very_ desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

Loki's expression changed ever-so-slightly, but Riley couldn't detect his aura from so far away. Not that she could much before anyway… "Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

Fury smirked. "Yeah, well, you let me know if 'Real Power' wants a magazine or something."

And with that, Fury turned and walked away, his overlong jacket billowing behind him.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" said Dr. Banner.

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" said the Captain.

"He has an army called the Chitauri, that none of Asgard nor any world know. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. Return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army, from outer space," said the Captain quietly.

Riley snorted and got to her feet once again. "What, he thinks he can just bring some friends here, blow up a couple of things, and become our king?"

"Basically," said Thor.

"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for," confirmed Dr. Banner.

"Selvig?" said Thor.

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

Natasha nodded. "Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here," said Captain.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him," said Dr. Banner.

"Don't underestimate the crazy guy," said Riley.

"I don't care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother," said Thor defensively.

"He killed eighty people in two days."

Thor hesitated. "He's adopted." Then he turned slightly to face Riley, who was playing absentmindedly with a strand of her hair. "And you. Why do I feel as though I have seen you before?"

"What, me?" said Riley, surprised that he was addressing her. "You haven't. But, um, I'm kind of like a demigod-demigod."

Thor looked dumbfounded. "A what?"

"She's half-Asgardian-half-human," Natasha explained.

For a moment, Thor still looked puzzled, but a sudden light lit up in his eyes after two straight seconds. "Oh, I see! You're Harrow's daughter."

Riley nodded. "That's me."

"I'm sorry, I did not catch your full name…?"

"Riley Harrow. Or Psychique Femme, if you prefer. Now, I know you probably don't like me very much—"

"And why should I not?" said Thor.

"Well, my dad was kind of banned forever from Asgard, and I'm not a 'pure breed', you know," said Riley, slightly embarrassed. "Generally I'm considered to have bad blood—"

"I do not know who thinks that way," said Thor, cutting her off again mid-sentence, "but I cannot say I feel the same. You are a combination of two of my favorite species: My own, and the humans, who have proven themselves to be capable of kindness."

Riley stared up at him, both stunned and pleased. "Wait…really?"

"Yes," said Thor, and he knelt down to plant a hasty kiss on the knuckles of her hand. A flush of red erupted on Riley's face, and although she was relieved and enjoyably flustered, she sincerely wished that no one else in the room was there. Thankfully, Dr. Banner took this opportunity to interrupt, saving her from further discomfiture.

"Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?"

At that moment, Tony Stark walked in with Coulson, now in actual clothing opposed to his Iron Man suit.

"It's a stabilizing agent."

Tony whispered something to Coulson.

"Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."

He made his way into the middle of the group, patting Thor casually on the arm as he did so. "No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing."

Thor looked somewhat irritated, but he said nothing in return.

"Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants," continued Tony.

He turned to quickly ask one of the Carrier BridgeTechs to raise the monitors.

"That man is playing gallaga!" he added, and the Captain stared blankly at him with a puzzled look. "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

He continued to pace, then looked at one of the computer monitors in front of him, covering one eye.

"How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns," said one of the female agents behind him.

"Sounds exhausting."

Riley rolled her eyes. She wondered whether he would actually get through his entire speech, or if he would continue to get off-topic.

"The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" asked the female agent.

"Last night." Tony glanced around at everyone else, frowning. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" asked the Captain.

"He got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," said Dr. Banner.

Tony thought for a moment. "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect."

_What? _Thought Riley, feeling as though every single word he said had flown straight over her head.

Dr. Banner shrugged. "Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English," said Tony, making his way over to Dr. Banner.

"That was English?" said Riley.

"Is that what just happened?" said the Captain.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner," Tony greeted, shaking the Doctor's hand. "You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks," said Dr. Banner, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," said Fury, who'd materialized in the room.

"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon," said the Captain.

"It's probably not one, Captain," said Riley, "just look at the markings on it…"

"Just call me Steve."

"Yeah, I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

Thor frowned up at him, clearly bemused. "Monkeys? I do not understand."

Steve eagerly sat upright, his expression lit. "I do!" Everyone stared at him, and he sank back into his seat again. "…I understood that reference."

Riley rolled her eyes, and the rest of the room began to slowly disperse, as Tony and Dr. Banner were left to work alone. She sighed in relief. _Maybe I can finally catch up on some sleep…Or practice a couple moves, _she added as an afterthought. She knew that she had to be prepared for the oncoming war, which was most likely going to be ten times worse than their little spat in the woods—

"Miss Harrow," said Fury, approaching her and breaking through her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," said Riley, noticing that everyone else had scattered. She hastily got to her feet. "I'll just be—"

"I need you to do something for me," said Fury, filing all of the manila folders back into a neat stack.

Riley groaned. "What is it?"

"Would you mind getting 'Real Power' over there something to eat? We don't want him to starve to death before we reach our destination."

For a moment, Riley said nothing. Then she laughed openly. "You had me going for a second there, sir! Good one."

Fury rolled his one good eye. "I wasn't joking, Miss Harrow."

Riley stopped laughing. "You want _me _to fetch Astro Boy food?"

"Yeah, you're the best for it," said Tony, smirking at her from behind one of the many computer screens, "being a woman and all. The kitchen should feel like home!"

Riley turned sharply to look at him with a glowering look, and she opened her mouth to object, but Fury stopped her.

"You can get yourself something, too, if you want," said Fury, turning away as he swept out of the room. "The food storage area is down the hall, first door on the left." And with that, he vanished from sight.

"Blueberry?" said Tony, innocently holding out the white packet of blueberries in his hand toward her.

"You're just asking for it, Stark," snarled Riley as she headed grudgingly for the door.

"Why don't you make him some fish and chips, love?" Tony suggested in a badly faked British accent, and Riley bit down on her lip hard. "Or perhaps some tea and crumpets?"

"Make fun of my accent again," she challenged.

"Mr. Stark, I have a question," said Dr. Banner, re-directing Tony toward him before things could get ugly.

Riley flashed him a quick thumbs-up, knowing full well that Dr. Banner couldn't possibly have a real question to ask Tony. She headed down the hallway, reluctantly pulling the door open. There wasn't much to work with. She pulled open the refrigerator and several boxes, did a quick scan, and decided on spaghetti. She knew she wasn't the best cook; she generally didn't make very large meals, and tossing raw noodles into a boiling pot seemed the easiest thing to do.

Sighing heavily, she finished spooning sauce onto it and carried it down to the area where Loki was being held prisoner, pulling the door open swiftly. To her surprise, the room was already occupied by none other than Natasha. What was she doing in there? However, she was already walking down the path toward the exit, talking into an earpiece.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Set the door locked…"

She turned back a fraction to look back at Loki.

"Thank you, for your cooperation." As she made her way out, she paused in front of Riley, who realized how ridiculous she must look; clearly Natasha had been in the middle of an interrogation (No doubt instigated by Fury), and here she was, carrying a plate of spaghetti to the prisoner like some sort of waitress.

"Harrow," said Natasha. Thankfully, she didn't ask Riley about the plate, but rather continued on her way out the door.

"Agent," said Riley in return, watching her disappear. She turned her attention back to the demigod, who was standing very close to the glass, looking both confused and frustrated. He was emitting a fairly strange aura, one that suggested he had just been cheated or tricked.

"Hey, E.T.," Riley greeted, making her way up the slope toward the glass cage entrance.

Loki turned his gaze away from the door, where the agent had just vanished, and peered down at the new interrogator…or perhaps not; it was the 'Riley' woman from before, carrying a plate of food in one hand. She didn't look altogether pleased to be there.

But maybe this would be a good chance to play with her.

"Is this all they deem you worth now?" said Loki.

Riley tried to ignore him. She pressed a round, blue button on the control panel, unlocking a small, box-like opening in the cage. As quickly as possible, she pushed the plate in through the gap and eyed Loki expectantly.

Loki glanced down at the plate of food before him, breathed a very faint sniff, and made a face.

"Disgusting," he commented.

Riley knew that Tony had to be watching from the monitor, and he was certainly laughing his arse off at this very moment.

"Fine. Starve." She curtly turned away, making a mental note to hit Tony as hard as she could the second she returned to the room.

"Something tells me you're…displeased," said Loki, slowly stalking her around the edge of the cage as she walked. She paused mid-step.

"Well, _yeah,_ you insulted my cooking," said Riley.

Loki formed a small grin. "Yes, but that's not what I meant. I was curious as to why you seem so keen on avoiding me."

Riley looked defiantly up into her eyes. Loki suppressed a further smirk. _Very good, half-blood. _It would be fairly easy to manipulate her.

"I'm not avoiding you," she argued.

"Then why is it that you cannot look me in the eye for more than a second?"

"That's-that's because-" Riley spluttered, realizing she was indeed sounding like a fool. "I have not!"

Loki strode up to the front of the glass and placed one hand on it, his piercing blue eyes boring into her. "You crave acceptance, don't you?"

Riley jerked her head upright to look at him. Now he had her full attention. _Perfect._

"I'm not sure what you mean," said Riley, but a small voice was exploding inside of her head: _Just leave. Leave! Don't get wrapped up into whatever crap he's trying to pull. He's tricking you!_

Loki smiled again, this time flashing all of his pearly-white teeth. "You're no mortal. You're just a mongrel, a demanding child, looking for someone to tell you that you're normal."

"You don't know_ anything_," said Riley through gritted teeth, and Loki noted that her hands were balling into obvious fists.

"Oh, trust me. I know. _Harrow._"

_This is bad, _thought Riley, taking a step back. _He knows who you are. Get out of here, before-_

"You want power," said Loki confidently.

"Not the way you do, I'm sure," Riley snapped back.

Loki laughed. "Are you certain?"

Riley hesitated.

He laughed again. "No, of course you're not. No...you want to prove to everyone else, all who have done you wrong, that you _are _worthy, that you _are _powerful, and that you _can _rise above them."

Riley could feel her body trembling, and she took another step back. _I'm supposed to be the psychic one, not him! _She thought, alarmed. _No, don't let him get to you-that's not _really _how you feel-_

Then why did she feel like she was lying to herself?

_"Harrow, you read me?" _a sudden voice barked in Riley's ear. She jumped, startled, and realized it was Fury, talking into her earpiece. _"I don't know what's taking you so long, but we need you up here. Now."_

"R...right," Riley answered back into the earpiece. Without another word, she hastily made her way over to the exit, feeling Loki's eyes burn into the back of her head as she went.

"You'll eventually give in," Loki called after her in a frighteningly knowing voice. "They always do."

...

_Sorry this chapter wasn't as long as it could have been, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. If you have any suggestions/thoughts/comments, be sure to leave a review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys, can't say I'm not disappointed at the lack of reviews, but I'll continue nevertheless! _

_Much thanks to TheMagentaColor for her review; I agree, Riley should definetly knock both of them out. (Especially Stark haha) Thank you!_

_…_

Riley made her way back up the stairs to the lab, her heart pounding hard in her chest. His last words had legitimately frightened her: _"You'll eventually give in. They always do." _She shook the thought away, trying to mask her alarm; it wouldn't do well to express any sign of weakness at a time like this.

She swung the lab door open only to walk into the middle of a heated argument. Thor, Natasha, Steve, Tony, and Dr. Banner were accusing Fury of lying to them about something.

"Did you know about this?" demanded Dr. Banner.

Natasha Romanoff: You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed," the doctor answered smoothly.

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what exactly?

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha pointed out.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy."

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" said Riley, and everyone in the room jerked their heads toward her in surprise, evidently not noticing her presence.

"Hey, Rover," said Tony with a small whistle. Riley glared at him.

"Do you _really _want to start this again—?"

"I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction," said Dr. Banner, cutting across Riley.

Fury hesitated, then pointed his index finger at Thor. "Because of him."

"Me?" said Thor, looking over his shoulder, bemused.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned."

Thor shook his head. "My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled," said Fury reasonably.

"Like you controlled the cube?" said Steve.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it," said Thor, "and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?"

Fury shrugged. "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent, cause," said Tony, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" said Fury.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep..." Steve muttered.

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?" Tony snarled.

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"Steve, don't stir up another argument—" Riley protested.

"If I want your help, Lassie, I'll whistle for you," Tony retorted.

"You're just asking for it now—" Riley warned.

"Leave her out of it—" Steve growled.

Thor shook his head in annoyance. "I thought humans were more evolved than this."

Fury turned on him sharply. "Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

That's when the arguments escalated. Everyone began talking over each other, all having their own input on the conversation, but it was almost impossible to tell who was who.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," said Thor.

"It's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're...we're a time-bomb," Dr. Banner mentioned.

"You need to step away."

"Why shouldn't they guy let off a little steam?" said Tony.

"You know damn well why! Back off!" Steve snapped.

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"Don't forget egotistical, arrogant, and a prat," Riley added, and Tony turned to disagree, but Steve didn't give him the chance.

"She's right. I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire."

"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero, like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"This is just stupid," said Riley, "you're going to waste all of your energy—"

Thor laughed.

"You people are so petty, and tiny."

"Yeah, this is a tee..."

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his..."

"Where? You're renting my room."

"The cell was just..."

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know, I tried. I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Dr. Banner's expression was dark now, and he had reached subconsciously back to pick up Loki' scepter, which he clenched tightly in his hand.

Riley felt a combination of pity and caution arise in her as she took a step back. She could feel heat beginning to hum in her hands, prepared in the event that he might lose it. She knew how he felt, being treated like a weapon of sorts, unable to control certain emotions. That was the exact reason she stopped working for SHIELD…but that didn't mean she wasn't about to let her guard down.

"Dr. Banner, put down the scepter," said Steve calmly.

At that same moment, the computer flashed a signal for locating the Tesseract. Dr. Banner stared at the scepter in mild surprise, put it down, and walked towards the computer monitor.

"Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my party trick after all."

"Located the Tesseract?"

"I can get there faster.

"Look, all of us..." said Steve.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it."

"Thor's right," said Riley, peering up at him. Even if she was only half-Asgardian, she knew full well that any object from their world was not to be tampered with by humans, "none of you would be able to control it."

Stark turned to leave, but Steve stopped him.

"You're not going alone!"

"You gonna stop me?" Tony challenged.

Steve's aura was now burning with fury.

"Put on the suit, let's find out."

Tony smirked. "I'm not afraid to hit an old man. "

"Put on the suit."

Riley rolled her eyes. There was just absolutely no getting through to the two of them.

At that moment, Dr. Banner, who was looking at the monitor, noticed something about the Tesseract.

"Oh, my God!" he gasped.

Suddenly, the ship gave an enormous jerk, and everyone was thrown in all directions. Riley slammed into the ground, hard, feeling very much like a rag doll. The flooring beneath her crumbled and she gave a yelp of surprise as she fell downwards along with piles of debris, landing flat on her face on the ground.

A vision flashed through Riley's mind in under a few seconds, but it was all she needed; in that split-second, she'd seen the other Agent that worked with Natasha (Barton, was it?) shooting an explosive arrow at the ship, blowing one of the engines.

Riley shook her head twice in an attempt to clear it before blinking her eyes open. She was lying beside Natasha, who was currently trapped under a pile of rubble, and next to her was Dr. Banner. However, something was obviously wrong with the man…He was trembling violently, his hands clenched on his head, his expression one of clear hatred. Riley could sense an overwhelming emotion of rage, so overpowering that she herself began to feel the same. _No! _Riley thought, suppressing the sensation fearfully. She'd never experienced such an intense aura before…Apparently if it was strong enough, the emotion could consume Riley herself, making her feel the same way. _No—no, just calm down, don't give in—_

"Doctor?" What frightened Riley even further was that Natasha's own voice, for the first time, sounded apprehensive. "Bruce, you gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay. Listen to me."

Dr. Banner hesitated for a split-second, and Riley felt the aura lessen some. Was he trying to restrain from transforming?

"We're gonna be okay. Right? I swear on my life I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never—"

Suddenly Banner's aura accelerated violently._ "Your_ life?" he growled angrily.

"Bruce—"

Dr. Banner's clothes began to tear, ripping apart from his body as it grew, turning a horrible green color. His expression darkened, and the muscles in his arms bulged out to ten times their size. Riley stared up at him, terrified.

"Riley—" Natasha was struggling under the pile of rubble, jerking violently back and forth as she tried to free herself. "Help—"

Brave, strong Natasha Romanoff, pleading for Riley's assistance. _She must be trapped pretty deep._

Riley hastily reached forward and began pushing hard on the object atop Natasha, mustering all the strength within her. The roar of the Hulk behind her intensified her panic, and she gave it one last hard shove. The heavy item rolled off of Natasha with a loud creaking noise. The woman struggled free, taking Riley's free arm to steady herself to her feet.

But it was a second too late; Dr. Banner was now fully transformed into the Hulk, towering over the two of them like an enormous green boulder. Riley and Natasha gawked up at him fearfully, waiting to see if he had any control. He gave a massive bellow, his teeth bared angrily, and began to advance on them.

_Yeah, I'd say he's lost control._

"Oh, _shit_!"

Riley took off running at top speed, but her leg was weighing her down; it felt as though she had pulled something in it, or in the very least injured it in her fall from the ground above. But she wasn't about to stop now—she could practically feel the Hulk's hot breath on the back of her neck, could hear his horrible roaring…

Natasha was keeping her pace up well, but Riley noticed she was about a second behind her. Perhaps it was one of the perks of being half-Asgardian, she decided, since she had a feeling that without the god blood, she would not stand a chance against the highly-trained, athletic agent.

Riley half-turned her body as she ran, feeling the familiar hot sensation in her palms, and she took aim at the Hulk. A large, powerful scarlet orb of light soared out of her hands, drilling straight into her target. The green creature staggered, shaking his head several times, but his aura merely rocketed. His muscles rippled up his thick olive arms, and he charged faster than before.

"Great idea, Harrow!" Natasha hollered at Riley as they sprinted through the dark room, their feet pounding hard on the ground.

"Didn't see you tossing out any plans!" Riley shouted back.

But the blast had indeed stopped the Hulk for a moment, giving them more time to get away. This, however, was a small victory, for the second she turned the corner, she found herself skidding to a halt. She had reached a dead end.

"Uh-oh."

What was more...where had Natasha gone? Riley turned just in time to see the agent come flying in her direction, having been evidently smacked, hard, by one of the Hulk's massive fists.

Natasha sank to her knees, winded and clearly in pain, as the Hulk rounded the corner, his face contorted in fuming rage. It was pretty noticeable now how afraid the agent really was, and Riley couldn't blame her, seeing as the woman only had a gun, which did basically nothing against the monster.

Riley raised her arms shakily above her head, creating a gigantic, crimson mass of energy over them, preparing to hurl it into him, with the knowledge in her mind that it was probably no use. The Hulk bolted straight for them at top speed, raising one fist in kind, ready to strike the two of them straight into next week—

At the last second, Thor came plowing through into the room and grabbed the Hulk, knocking him through the wall and away from them.

"We're not your enemies, Banner! Try to think!" Riley heard Thor shout, but his voice was followed by an _Oof! _as he had apparently been punched.

Riley exhaled a sigh of relief as she allowed the red energy to return to the palms of her hands. "That was _way _too close."

But Natasha said nothing. Riley peered down at the agent, who was sitting slumped over on the floor, trembling slightly. She made no attempt to mask the sheer terror in her expression.

"All right?" Riley asked, kneeling down hesitantly.

Natasha's frightened blue eyes met Riley's brown for a fleeting second before looking away again. "F…f-fine," she said, her voice unsteady.

Riley thought for a moment. "Why don't you stay here and recover? I'll go help Thor out, and I'll call you on my earpiece if I need you."

Natasha hesitated. "That's…y-yeah. Sure," she mumbled shakily.

Riley nodded. She leapt through the hole in the wall Thor had created, wincing as her hurt leg hit the ground. It wasn't hard to spot Thor and the Hulk, who were engaged in serious combat. The pair were practically taking turns, Thor taking a swing at him with his hammer and the Hulk returning the favor with his fists.

The Hulk lifted the nearest object to him and flung it straight at Thor with all his might. Riley's eyes locked onto it just in time, and she re-directed it away from them, letting it crash onto the ground some feet away. Thor frowned in bewilderment, possibly wondering if he had done that.

"Need a hand?" Riley called. Thor turned and shot her a heart-stopping grin, but in the next second, he was back in battle-mode, hurling his hammer at the Hulk.

The three of them fought in a circle, but Riley kept her distance from the Hulk as she did so, not wanting to get too close just in case. Instead, she conducted the objects in the room, smashing them into him and lifting the ones in his hand away before he could use it against them.

Suddenly, one of the SHIELD pilot planes soared down toward the gap in the end of the room, descending low. The pilot began to try to shoot the Hulk from his jet outside the ship.

"No! Stop!" Riley screamed at the pilot, but she knew he couldn't hear her.

"_Don't worry, Harrow," _a voice in Riley's ear spoke, startling her. It was Fury. _"All part of the plan."_

Riley couldn't see how this plan could be in any way sensible as the Hulk leapt out of the ship, landing on the jet's nose. He began tearing it violently apart, seizing the pilot as he tried to eject from it. Finally, after a fairly short struggle between the two, the plane plummeted down, taking the Hulk with it.

Riley's hands flew up to her mouth. "He'll be okay—right?" she demanded, turning to Thor for reassurance.

Thor considered the situation for a moment. "I am sure that he will be just fine, Riley."

Riley had a feeling he was mostly just trying to make her feel better, but she was glad for his attempt regardless. "Right."

"Frightened?" Thor suggested, grinning down at her.

Riley glanced to her right, where a giant sheet of metal had fallen, and scrutinized her appearance: Pale as all get out. "Guess it's kind of obvious, huh?" she said, returning the smile with a smaller one. "The daughter of a demigod and I can't even stop shaking. Pretty sad."

Thor laughed, not unkindly. "Even Asgardians have flaws. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Riley opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. She was saved having to think of something, however, as a voice in her ear said, _"It's Barton, he took our systems. He's headed for the detention lab. Does anybody copy?"_

"_This is Agent Romanoff. I copy," _Natasha's voice echoed in their earpieces.

"What now?" said Riley, turning to Thor for directions.

"Now we stop Loki."

The pair raced back down through the winding helicarrier, toward the area where Loki was imprisoned. Moving fast, Thor yanked the door open and he stormed in, just in time to see the door to Loki's cage sliding open.

"_No!" _

Thor rocketed forward, hurtling himself into the cage at Loki, but to his and Riley's surprise, he went straight _through _The God of Mischief. His image vanished.

"Thor!" Riley shouted, racing into the room. The real Loki materialized a few feet away from the cage, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Are you ever _not_ going to fall for that?" said Loki calmly.

Riley rounded on Loki, raising her hands again. A large blast of red light illuminated the room, firing straight into Loki's chest. Yet again, his image flickered into nothingness and a third Loki appeared at the control panel, his expression amused.

"The half-blood thinks she has a chance against a god," said Loki, his grin widening, "just because she has a touch of Asgardian in her."

"No, I think I have a chance because you're an overconfident git," said Riley, raising one hand again. "Now get away from the controls or I'll blast every last one of your clones till I find the real one."

Loki laughed coldly, sending an icy chill down Riley's spine. "I like this one," he said to his brother, as he grazed his fingers slowly across the buttons before him, still smiling. "Your attempts to hide your fear are pretty entertaining, I must say…The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" He placed his hand over the button that would send Thor plunging out of the ship.

"_No—" _Riley began, creating another orb of energy in her hands. However, just as Loki was about to open the hole in the middle of the glass cell, Coulson suddenly appeared, holding a very large, dangerous-looking weapon in his hands.

"Move away, please."

Loki very slowly moved away from the switch, but Riley could sense a different aura rising in Loki…From what she could tell, he was definitely unfazed by the gun, despite his outward appearance. But did Coulson know that?

"Phil, be careful," Riley warned, still holding one hand out in front of her.

Coulson nodded his acknowledgement to her. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?"

And that's when the world crumbled around Riley. In under a second, before Riley could even move an inch, Loki had teleported directly behind Coulson, stabbing his scepter into the man's back, through his heart.

"_PHIL!" _Riley shrieked. There was no way that had just happened—it was impossible, there was just _no way _that it was possible—

"_NOOO!" _Thor shouted, banging on the cage walls, his expression deeply wounded.

Riley let go of the sphere forming in her hands, letting it fly at Loki, who ducked out of the way just in time. Her eyes ablaze with anger and fresh tears, she charged at him.

Loki hit the button hard, opening the hole in the cell, and dropped Thor out of the ship trapped in the glass cage.

"Thor!" Riley changed directions, moving toward the gaping hole in the ground. Coulson was beyond help, there was no denying that—but if she could just lock her eyes onto the cage, she could lift it back up and prevent it from hitting the ground—

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Loki's silky voice whispered in Riley's ear, and she jumped, startled. He was standing directly behind her, so close that his shoulders touched the back of hers. She drew her knee up and kicked back hard, but her foot didn't make impact with him. Two arms seized her own and pinned them to her sides with surprising strength. Riley struggled violently against them, but she stopped the moment she felt the scepter cross her throat. She froze, petrified, but it did not slice her skin.

"If you're planning on killing me, why not just do it?" Riley hissed back boldly, but on the inside, her heart was pounding so fast and so loudly that she could barely hear herself think.

Loki's hot breath laughed softly into her ear and she winced. "Because it seems that curiosity has gotten the better of both of us, hasn't it, Miss Harrow?"

"What do you mean by—?"

But Loki released his grip on her and, with a hard shove, knocked her to the ground. She gasped as her bad leg hit the floor, but she was more shocked than anything. Had he just…let her go? But why? He could easily cut her throat on the spot, right there, like tearing a sheet of paper.

"You'll figure it out for yourself soon enough, I'm sure," said Loki, and with that, he swept toward the door. Riley limply hoisted herself off of the ground, raising her right hand, but now merely sparks were forming in it.

"You're gonna lose."

Riley looked up in surprise to see Coulson, still alive but in bad condition, staring up at Loki confidently.

"Am I?" said Loki, turning his attention to Coulson.

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"Your lack conviction."

For the first time, Loki looked insulted. "I don't think _I_..."

Suddenly, a giant ball of fire blasted Loki through the wall behind him with such a force that the ground shook. Riley looked up in shock to see Coulson holding the new weapon in his hands, smiling faintly. "So that's what it does."

"Coulson!" Riley staggered unsteadily to her feet, wobbling over to Coulson's side. "Phil—hang in there, buddy, don't—don't go out on me."

But Coulson just continued to smile every-so-slightly up at her. "It's too late."

"No. No, it's not." Riley pressed her earpiece down with two fingers. "Fury! Coulson is down, I repeat, Coulson is down!" She placed one hand against his chest, feeling the warm blood stick to the palm of her hand.

"You're going to be fine," said Riley, but her confidence was falling fast. "I've called in help—I'm going after Loki. And damn it, don't you dare die on me while I'm gone!" she added, but Coulson shook his head.

"It was honestly a true pleasure working with you, Miss Harrow."

"Riley. And stop talking like that! I already told you, you're _fine._"

"Right, Riley," breathed Phil, his eyes half-open now. "Just go and stop him."

Riley nodded, feeling a stir of guilt in the pit of her stomach, and she leapt through the hole where Loki had crashed through. She picked her way through the rubble, but he was nowhere to be seen. Determined, she climbed up through the second hole in the room, where she presumed he'd climbed through, but when she reached the top, she was greeted with nothing but the wind howling in her ears and the sounds of the battle to keep the ship up raging on.

Coulson's death had been for nothing. Loki had escaped nevertheless, and he was on the run again. Riley felt hot tears well up in her eyes, and she undid her earpiece just for the moment, so that she may be granted a moment to cry uninterrupted.

…

_This chapter took me way longer than it should have. Just saying._

_Reviews appreciated, as well as favorites. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can._


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks for the reviews, guys! It helps my motivation :)_

_I'll reply to your reviews at the bottom, mainly to save space up here. _

_…_

Maybe it would hurt less if Loki had just killed her. But no, he left her alive, alive and breathing, to witness and grieve over Phil's body, to wish with all her heart that she could switch places with him…

Riley sank slowly to her knees, making no attempt to stop the tears from flooding out of her eyes. She sobbed openly into her hands shakily, feeling exactly the way Loki viewed her…_Pathetic. _Perhaps he was right, about everything, really. She wondered whether her being there was even the right thing, seeing as she had done absolutely nothing to contribute to the team.

Loki had been right there, in her grasp, and she'd let him get away. All because of a few stupid words.

_"__Because it seems that curiosity has gotten the better of both of us, hasn't it, Miss Harrow?"_

What had he meant by that? What did _she_ have to be curious about—?

Riley suddenly jerked her head upright and out of her hands, sending tears flying everywhere. Wait a minute. A horrible thought had occurred to her as she went back to the day that Fury had tried to recruit her…

_"You're from the same planet. Coulson says your father was banned from it, but you don't know why. Am I wrong to assume that you might become…curious?"_

Damn.

Why was she so _stupid? _Obviously Loki was referring to the fact that she was a half-blood with basically no information as to what had happened with her father. The reason he was banned, the truth…No! She shook her head rapidly back in forth. _I don't want to know. I went this long without knowing, and I'm not about to give in now._

So that solved one half of the puzzle…but what about the other? He said that curiosity got the better of _both _of them, not just her…Loki had said that in reply to Riley's inquiry as to why he didn't kill her. That was an idiotic reason to not execute her. What could Loki possibly have to be inquisitive about toward Riley?

At that moment, she heard a faint buzzing coming from her removed earpiece. Biting her lip hard, she lifted it back up to her ear. "Y-yeah?" Her voice trembled.

_"I repeat: To any of the remaining Avengers: We are meeting in the conference room as of right now."_

But Riley remained rooted on the spot. In order to go up to the room, she would have to return back through the area where Coulson's body lay, in a pool of blood. Against her will, a small spark of hope stirred within her: What if he was still alive? It wasn't set in stone that he was dead, it wasn't—

Riley shook the idea away. _No. You can't even pick up his aura from here; he doesn't have one any longer._ She turned in a robotic-like trance back to the hole, climbing down mechanically into the room. Unsurprisingly, Phil's body was no longer there. Apparently the other agents had already come to get him. All that remained now were a couple of red stains on the ground and floor.

Clenching her jaw tightly, she raced out of the room as fast as she could go on a hurt leg, pelting upwards till she reached the ship's meeting room. She gave the door a hard shove, expecting to see a crowded room, but merely three people occupied the space.

"Hey," said Tony when she took a seat at the far end of the table. She noted that he didn't add any kind of nickname or rude remark.

Steve merely acknowledged her with a nod. Both of them were decently beat up; Tony's armor and Steve's shield were both scratched up badly.

Fury approached the table, his expression blank. "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them."

He threw Coulson's Captain America trading cards on the table towards Steve, who picked one up, frowning deeply. Riley bit back a gasp as she realized that the cards were bloody.

"We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."

He paused for a moment. Riley hung her head in shame; she'd forgotten all about Thor, who she could have helped, if she had just been a little bit quicker. She prayed silently that he was somehow okay-he _was _in fact a god...

"Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes."

Tony got abruptly to his feet and left the room, shoving the door open harshly. As he vanished around the corner, Fury added, "Well, it's an old fashioned notion." And he, too, left the room, his cloak flying behind him.

Riley wrung her hands together nervously. It was impossible to think of anything beyond the obvious, no matter how hard she tried.

"You two worked together?"

Riley peered up at Steve. He was still looking at Phil Coulson's bloody cards. She nodded slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to make any actual words.

"Were you close?"

Riley shrugged her shoulders. "Sort of. We were...'friends', I guess, but I hadn't seen him in a while anyway." She hesitated. "Not since I resigned from SHIELD."

"Why _did_ you? If you don't mind me asking," he added.

"I assumed you would know," said Riley. "Was it not in my folder?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Well...I had some complications. I guess you could call them emotional issues. In a way, it was a lesser version of the Hulk's situation-I was easily riled up, and I'm not proud to say that I hurt a fair amount of people." She shook her head. "They deemed me too dangerous to work on the team, so I went back undercover as a writer. At least it gave me some time to think, to practice keeping my head on straight."

Steve remained silent for a moment, staring at Riley as though contemplating her and her situation. For a split-second, she looked away to avoid his eyes, but then what Loki had said hit home and she returned her gaze.

"You're pretty complex."

Without meaning to, Riley laughed. "That's one way of looking at it. Half-human, half god."

"So, think we should check on Stark?"

"Stark? Oh..." Riley frowned. She'd forgotten that he was closer to Coulson than any of them. "Yeah. That might be a good idea."

It took a good four minutes to find out where Tony had gone. They finally tracked him down in Loki's old cage room, where Coulson's body lay only minutes ago. He was leaning over the railing, his gaze vacant. For the first time, Riley saw the human side to the rude, conceited man, and she couldn't prevent a pitying expression from creeping up to her face.

"Was he married?" said Steve suddenly. Tony turned sharply to look at them.

"No. He was a uh...cellist, I think."

"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."

"He was," said Riley.

"He was an idiot," corrected Stark.

"Why? For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone."

Riley winced. "He wasn't."

Tony raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you mean?"

Riley bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed. "I was there when it happened. Loki...stabbed him through the heart, from behind."

"There was nothing you could do," said Steve.

Riley shook her head quickly and her eyes began to water again. "No, I can name fifty things I could have done differently. I should have never even let him try to take him on-"

Tony put up a hand to silence her. "Wasn't your fault, Marley. He shouldn't have gone down there in the first place."

This time, Riley didn't even bother correcting his petname for her.

"He was doing his job," said Steve.

"He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."

"Right. How did that work for him?"

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?

"We are not soldiers!" said Tony loudly, his voice echoing around the room. He lowered it again. "I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I. He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does, but right now we gotta put that behind us and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."

"He made it personal."

"That's not the point."

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart," said Steve.

"To pin us against each other," said Riley.

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

Steve nodded. "Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart."

"Yeah. That's just previews, this is...this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered-"

Suddenly Tony broke off mid-sentence, his eyes wide in realization.

"What is it?" said Riley.

"Son of a bitch."

Tony pushed past both of them, running back through the door. Riley and Steve exchanged a bemused look, then hurried after him, shouting.

"Wait! Tony, what's his plan?" Riley hollered.

"Stark Towers!" Tony shouted back from up ahead. "He's going to set up his little act at my home."

"You're joking!"

"Come on, let's get Agent Romanoff and Barton," said Steve, taking Riley by the arm (She felt a hot red color dance across her cheeks) and re-directing her through a different door.

"Time to go."

Natasha looked up from a cup of coffee she was pouring.

"Go where?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"

Clint entered the room, wiping his face on a towel. For the first time, Riley got a good look at him, now that they were in person.

"I can."

"No longer under Loki's spell?" Riley asked Natasha hesitantly. She nodded.

"You got a suit?" said Steve.

Clint nodded. "Yeah."

"Then suit up."

In a group, all of them moved together as one, toward the jets. Riley, Steve, Natasha, and Clint climbed into one of them, heading for the front, where a young SHIELD pilot stopped them, getting to his feet to shoo them away.

"You guys aren't authorized to be in here," the pilot warned, moving toward them to try and get them back out.

Steve half-smiled, tilting his head to one side. "Son, just don't."

...

Riley had barely managed to climb down the "R" in STARK when Tony Stark himself came flying out of the window, shattering the glass around him violently. _"Tony!" _

_Why isn't he wearing his suit?_

But in answer to her question, a bullet-shaped red-and-yellow object bolted out of the window after him, catching him just in time before he hit the ground, surrounding his body into the suit. The moment he was completely suited up, he flew back up, hovering a few feet away from her.

"-And there's one other person you pissed off!" he shouted, undoubtedly to someone inside his tower. "His name is Phil."

He lifted one hand and shot a powerful energy blast from his metal palm, earning a loud _WHAM! _from somewhere inside the room.

"Hey there, Marley," said Tony, lifting one hand to wave in Riley's direction."How's it hanging?"

"Funny, Stark. Sorry we're late-we can into a couple of problems along the way."

"You should get a suit instead, like me."

Riley let go of the "R" and fell heavily on her hands and knees at the entrance to his tower, her hair falling in curtains around her face. She tossed it out of the way, barely a split-second before Loki attacked. His scepter swiped sharply in her direction, but she rolled out of harm's way, kicking at his legs in hopes to unbalance him.

"Spared me once," said Riley, getting slowly to her feet. "Why not now?"

"Now who said I was going to kill you?" said Loki, flashing her another smile.

"It was implied." Riley sent an energy blast at him, but he dodged it fairly easily, diving out of the way.

_Where's Stark? _He seemed to have disappeared amidst their mini-duel.

Loki watched the girl's feeble attempts to knock him off of his feet, a smirk on his face as she did so.

"You have not the least bit of control over your abilities," said Loki, twirling the scepter slightly in his right hand. "Mortals. Give them god abilities and they have no idea how to use them."

Riley scowled at him and a sort of glee rose in Loki. He absolutely _loved _this, pushing her to the edge, and certainly, sooner or later, she was going to fall.

"I have _plenty _of control!" said Riley defensively. She charged him straight on, aiming one balled fist toward his face. Amused, Loki re-directed the blow away with one hand, grabbing her painfully tight by the wrist.

"As I said," Loki grinned, "no control."

She jerked violently against his grip, using her free hand to take swipes at him. "Such a pity," said Loki, slapping away her other hand as though it were a sheet of paper, then pointing the scepter directly at her chest. Riley ceased in her protests and stopped writhing, frozen in fear. "And here I thought you _might _just be worth something, without me having to do this."

Loki relished in the "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" look that she shot him, her eyes stretched wide in fear. With one swift jab, he directed the scepter against her chest, where her heart resided.

Riley uttered a gasp. _What's he doing? _She stood, paralyzed, as she watched the faint blue light travel from the tip of the scepter, into her body. She could feel a sort of cold chill overcome her body, freezing her blood to ice, and all at once her thoughts began to go in and out, only to be replaced by new ones:

_Attack Loki while he's not paying attention? No, help him open up the portal. We need his rule over this pathetic planet, with it's even more pitiful inhabitants. Wait, what?_

She shook her head back and forth, bewildered. What was going on?

_Come on, come on! Hit him with another energy blast while he's standing right in front of you! Now's your chance...to be what you always wanted to be. Accepted. To have someone understanding guide you, someone who believes you're normal, unlike these idiotic fools...No, damn it! Stop it!_

Riley forced herself to open her eyes and look back at Loki, who had his head tilted slightly to one side, as though he were contemplating something.

"Well, Harrow?" he said in a thin, soft voice.

Riley blinked three times and shook her head again. "Well _what, _Megamind?" She balled her hands into fists again, then grit her teeth. _Get a hold of yourself! _Finally, she could feel the cold, icy shiver beginning to recede, to travel back out and away from her heart, returning her own thoughts to her mind...

Loki's eyes narrowed. Had it not worked? Perhaps the woman was still as hot-headed as before, with her personality intact, even under his command...but then again, perhaps not.

Just as she had begun to raise her arms shakily, the scepter struck her heart again, and Riley staggered. _No, no, NO! _The familiar icy chill ran down her spine; her no's turned to yes' and her will to fight back began to diminish, trying to pull away into nonexistence. _Loki is Earth's savior. He will make a good king. He is just what this planet is in need of-_

She was half-aware that Loki had bent slightly, his piercing green eyes staring into her own eyes critically. Her vision was flashing from clear to a strange electric-blue color, and his devious smile seemed almost seemed charming-like, compassionate...

_Like hell it is._

Riley struck out at him, managing a decently good punch into his chest, sending him flying backward into Tony's liquor cabinet. He stumbled as the glass around him shattered, showering down onto the floor, exploding far enough to reach Riley, who winced as it sliced her skin. But the impact of the blow was enough to drag the force playing inside her head out.

"Nice try," said Riley, panting slightly, "but it looks like I'm still worthless."

Pulling himself up from the clutter, even with a bloody lip, Loki managed a half-smirk. "My my, you're just _full _of surprises, aren't you?"

At this, Riley began firing one scarlett energy blast after another at him, not holding back this time. She thought of Phil as Loki struck back with his scepter, of his lifeless, pale form on the ground in the imprisonment room, of his blood on the wall...As she steadily brought up her pace, her fighting becoming more and more violent, she caught something moving rapidly past the window out of the corner of her eye.

The gateway had been opened. Apparently one of Loki's many zombie-like followers had managed to activate it, and now Chitauri warriors were soaring down into the city, raising their weapons at innocent civilians as they attacked the streets of Manhattan.

Something had quite possibly snapped in the Harrow girl, and Loki knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up. Stark would most likely be back any second, and between the two of them, he might not stand as much of a chance. Loki shot her one last confident grin (He had to admit, she was beginning to grow on him, as it seemed more than curiosity had gotten the better of him), and he bolted for the side of the building, rolling off of it just in time to catch one of the passing Chitauri vehicles.

Maybe the god half of the woman had shielded her some from his scepter...There was a good chance that that's what it was, but Loki couldn't be sure. Others like the Agent Barton had succumbed to the power instantly, losing who they were in a split-second, but she appeared able to fight against it...

_Interesting._

"Oh, bloody hell!" Riley cursed several times as she watched Loki vanish from sight. She considered perhaps going after him, but as more screams erupted from below, she realized it was probably a better idea to jump into the action in the streets. She could just make out the figure of Captain America fighting on the ground, and she began descending down the side of the building, to help him fend off the creatures.

"Having fun yet?" Riley hollered at Steve. He wielded his shield like a weapon, knocking four Chitauri warriors in a row off of their feet, before turning around to look at her.

"Tremendous amounts. Any chance you want to help out here?"

"There might be." Side-by-side, they battled back and forth against the oncoming aliens, with their backs to each other, rotating in a circle. It seemed as though every second another one dropped from the sky, as though they were raining down on them, and Riley had to make her energy blasts larger and larger in order to fend them off. She lifted various heavy objects up off of the ground, using them as shields to protect herself or as weapons, hitting them upside the head and knocking them out cold.

Natasha and Barton joined them shortly after they'd cleared out a good chunk of the ones on the ground area, although more were flooding in every second. Riley could still feel a cold chill running through her veins every few seconds, and she'd hesitate, contemplating whether she was doing the right thing or not, before returning to attacking.

"Having problems?" Barton called over his shoulder to Riley, as she paused and lowered her hands for the seventh time.

"Kind of," Riley shouted back, before raising them again and causing a mini van to bash three Chitauri warriors away from them.

_"Stark, are you seeing this?" _Riley heard Steve's voice in her earpiece. She turned slightly to glance back, just as a giant airship, much like a massive flying worm, soared through the portal, accompanied by more warriors.

"That's...a big one," Riley commented, gawking up at it.

_"I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?" _Tony echoed back.

_"Banner?"_

_"Just keep me posted."_

_..._

_I'm sorry I took an eternity to post this latest chapter!_

_Wow...I only just looked at all my followers and favorites, and I realized theres _a lot! _Thank you to everyone on the said lists, as well as those of you who have posted reviews._

_TheMagentaColor and elizabeth14: Thank you! Your reviews are appreciated very much, and I'm really glad that you like my story. :)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Oh my Asgard, you guys are awesome!_

_..._

Riley ducked as Steve swung his shield over her head, taking out an entire row of Chitauri warriors advancing on them.

"Nice one," Riley commented, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead.

"Thanks," said Steve as he surveyed the clutter, searching for his next target. "There's more coming up on your left, Harrow."

"There's more coming up _everywhere," _Riley corrected as further energy surged into to her fists.

_"Watch out!"_

Riley and Steve dropped hastily onto their hands and knees, just in time as Clint shot an explosive arrow over their heads, knocking out a trio of warriors sneaking up on them from behind. Riley rolled out of the way and got back onto her feet, as Steve did the same in kind.

"What we need to do is get these people out of here," said Steve as he rose to his feet, watching the screaming crowds of civilians fleeing the area like ants hurrying away from raindrops.

"Why don't you go alert the cops over there?" said Riley as she caused a shower of glass from a window to chase after one of the Chitauri.

Steve nodded, then gestured to a group of more Chitauri warriors that landed near them. "You think you can hold them off?" he asked Clint.

Clint smirked. "Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure."

As they continued to duel, Steve bolted away, making his way toward the cops nearby. Riley continued to control the various objects and rubble around her, having them do her bidding against the warriors, and took aim at them with her energy blasts. She fought hard, coiling the phone cords from telephone booths around them and, ever so often, using actual kicks and punches to defend herself.

Steve didn't return for another few minutes, and by the time he leapt back into their group, Riley already had a split lip and various bruises going up and down her limbs.

"They're evacuating," said Steve as he re-joined them raising his shield once more.

"Brilliant," said Riley distractedly, still in hand-to-hand combat with one of the aliens. He was putting up a fairly decent fight compared to the others, matching her punch for punch.

The warrior suddenly stopped fighting Riley and crumpled to the ground, as a bullet soared through his forehead.

"Guns," said Natasha to Riley, raising one of them. "They sure come in handy."

Riley opened her mouth to answer, but at that precise moment, Thor landed heavily in the middle of their battle, his hammer raised and his expression furious.

"Thor!" Riley gasped, relieved beyond belief. She knew he couldn't have died from the fall from the ship, he ws too strong for that. But still, it helped ease the majority of her guilt to see him standing there in person.

"The powers surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor explained. Riley noticed a splotch of red blood on the chest of his outfit.

"Thor is right, we gotta deal with these guys," Tony added through their earpieces.

Natasha sighed. "How do we do this?"

"As a team," said Steve.

"How else?" said Riley.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," said Thor, with a lip-curl as he fingered the blood on his chest.

Clint snorted. "Yeah, well get in line."

"As of right now, I don't think he's on anyone's good side," said Riley, clenching her teeth together.

"Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us..." Steve broke off, staring straight ahead of him, taken aback.

Riley followed his eyes to see Dr. Banner pulling up on a motorcycle, looking tattered but thankfully human now, opposed to the raging beast she'd last seen him as.

"Dr. Banner!" said Riley, grinning. She knew in the back of her mind he'd be fine falling from the height he did as the Hulk, but part of her was still worried that something might have gone wrong.

"So, this all seems...horrible."

"Understatement of the year," said Riley.

Natasha shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Sorry."

"No...we could use a little worse."

"Good to see you not...green," Riley commented. Her last memory of him charging at her and Natasha straight on flickered through her mind.

"Good to see you not...dead," Dr. Banner answered. "Even from far down the street, I could see bits and pieces of your little scuffle with Loki."

Riley shrugged sheepishly. "Er...yeah." She didn't want to admit how easily he'd slipped from her grasp.

"Stark, we got him, Banner, just like you said," said Steve into his earpiece.

_"Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you," _Tony echoed back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Riley, but her question was immediately answered. Tony, equipped in his Iron Man suit, flew around the corner of a building, seemingly alone and calm, but in the next second, a giant worm-like ship materialized there as well, pursuing him.

Riley took a step back, knowing it was no good; they were cornered on the small stretch of street, and they would have no other choice but to fight it.

"I...don't see how that's a party," Natasha mumbled.

"Uh, Dr. Banner," said Steve, his eyes tracking Tony and the worm as they drew closer, "now might be a good time for you to get angry."

Dr. Banner simply waltzed straight at the creature, smirking over his shoulder back at them as he did so. "That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry." Without another word, Dr. Banner transformed in the blink of an eye into the enormous green monster, losing his upper clothing, and smashed the giant worm with one fist, sending debris flying everywhere as it crashed into the ground, limp.

"He needs to teach me how to do that," said Riley offhandedly, gawking at him as though unsure if it had happened or not.

"Guys," said Natasha. Everyone looked in the direction she was staring, and up far in the sky, where the portal spun, hundreds more giant worm ships were entering their world.

"Well that's not good," said Riley.

_"Call it, Captain."_

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash."

Clint nodded as Tony landed beside him, brushing dust and clutter from his suit.

"Wanna give me a lift?" he suggested to Tony.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." Tony took hold of Clint, rose into the air, and took off up to the top of the building to drop him off.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning, light the bastards up." Thor nodded. Steve turned to Natasha. "You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Riely...er, Harrow," he corrected, looking to Riley next. "Find out where Loki got off to and slow him down. And Hulk..."

The Hulk jerked his head toward him with an almost quisitive-like snarl.

"...Smash."

A wide, mischevious grin spread across the Hulk's face and he took off running, leaping up toward the side of one of the buildings to begin his attack on the Chitauri warriors there.

"Of course. Pin Riley with Loki again," said Riley, narrowing her eyes at Steve. "Are you_ trying_ to get me killed?"

"He hasn't killed you yet," said Steve, "or really seemed to try that hard, so I don't think he's planning on it any time soon. And you can resist the mind control."

"Yeah, don't send anyone like his brother or something to do it," Riley muttered under her breath as she turned her back on them to begin her search about the city for Loki. "That would make too much sense."

It didn't take any time at all to find Loki; after all, as Tony had said, he was like a diva, and this was in fact his party. What would be the point in not standing out? He was riding atop one of the hover boards, leaning back casually on the seat, his gaze fixed forward. The hard part was not finding him, though; it was keeping up with him and finding a way up to his ship.

As she ran to keep up with the ship from below, she debated how to go about her attack...He was only looking ahead, but it would be foolish to think that he would not see her coming from the side. Loki's vehicle took several sharp turns every so often, making it difficult for Riley to stay on track behind him. He did not have his scepter on hand with him (_Good. Let's test out how strong he is without his precious toy,_ Riley thought), and he seemed fairly relaxed, but he had one hand on some sort of button on the hover board, using it to shoot bright beams of light at his targets.

After another moment of deliberation, Riley used her levitation on a demolished, abandoned Honda, climbing atop it so she could ride it after his hover board. It worked smoothly (Well...it worked anyway. It lost one of its wheels and some broken pieces on the way up), and she jerked it upward after Loki. Either he really did not see her there or chose to look the other way, but whichever it was, Riley took the opportunity to make the best of it. She caught up swiftly from behind, grabbed hold of the back of the hover board, and released the car, letting it fall from her powers' grasp and crash far below. The sound was loud, yet among the various other battle sounds coming from every direction, it did not strike Loki's attention.

Loki was too preoccupied anyway; he was shooting violently at something in front of him, clearly missing, as he kept repeatedly taking aim. Riley peered over his shoulder silently, searching for his target: Natasha. She had climbed aboard another one of the flying vehicles, maneuvering it back and forth to avoid Loki's attacks.

Now, she could either be sneaky and clever about it and climb under the ship, undoing some wires and cables till the ship did not run any longer, or...

"Surprise!" Riley sprung out from the back of the hover board, knocking Loki forward into the dashboard (Or...at least, she assumed that's what it was called) from behind. He whirled around, his piercing green eyes alarmed.

Loki's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the half-blood behind him, and he resisted the urge to show any sign of pain; her kick to his back had actually quite hurt. Her own brown eyes were firing daggers into him, and she could have very well been on fire, she looked so aggravated. Perhaps, with the proper words and such, he could work this to his own advantage.

"I just can't seem to shake you, can I?" Loki sneered.

"Yeah, it's pretty frustrating, huh?" Riley retorted. "It's okay. I get that a lot."

But Loki was not the only passenger on board; one of the Chitauri warriors was actually managing the ship, and he had now taken over the duty of shooting at Natasha, trying to knock her off of her own hover board.

"So, since you're currently scepter-less and I have the upper hand, we can do this one of two ways," said Riley, cracking her knuckles menacingly; what she really wanted was to gain control of the ship, to re-direct it away from Natasha so that she could travel to the portal safely. "You can either surrender here and now, praying I won't kick your arse too hard later, or...I can kick your arse too hard now."

"Ah...I choose three."

And in one swift move, Loki darted forward at her, before she could make one single move, planting a small peck on the girl's right cheek with his lips.

Riley froze mid-crack, her knuckles paralyzed. The movement was so quick, so simple, but it took her completely by surprise.

It was exactly the reaction Loki had been hoping for. Now that they were inches away from each other, he took advantage of her split-second hesitation, knocking her roughly backwards so that she fell hard on the ship's floor. He placed one boot over her, pinning her down, and held out his hand a few inches away from her face.

Loki's hand glowed a faint blue color, and she could feel an icy chill emitting from it.

"The scepeter is not my only means of protection, Harrow," he whispered, as the blue tint traveled from his hand up his arm.

Oh, right. Magic.

Riley cursed. She hadn't even had time to react-not enough time to punch him, not enough time to say anything, and not even enough time to blush.

Well, this was a fine mess she was in.

_"Clint!"_ said a slightly anxious voice in Riley's earpiece-now that she was on the ground of the ship, she could no longer see Natasha, but she could hear the blasts firing from the Chitauri warrior tracking her.

_"Nat, what are you doing?" _Clint demanded back.

_"Uh, a little help here?"_

There was a moment's pause. _"Riley, are you aboard Loki's ship?"_

Riley's eyes danced about, but it was hard to see over Loki's tall figure. She could only assume Clint was somewhere nearby, but the thought did not comfort her; she looked pretty helpless, lying on the ground under Loki's boot.

"Um. Well, yeah," Riley mumbled back, avoiding Loki's eyes.

_"Think you'll be all right if I take aim at Loki?"_

"What, with one of your arrows?" said Riley, lowering her voice to a whisper, in the hopes that Loki would not catch on. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

To this, Clint merely answered her with, _"I got him."_

From seemingly out of no where, an arrow shot across the sky at a rapid speed, straight at Loki's face, but in the last half-second, he reached his free hand up and caught it as though it were nothing more than an irksome fly. His smirk widened, and he turned his gaze away from Riley to look in the direction it shot in, with an amused expression as though he were saying, "Really?"

Riley barely heard the beeping sound before the arrow detonated, exploding violently. Riley felt the weight on her stomach release, and she went tumbling blindly, seeing nothing but flashes of daylight and blurred images. There was a shattering sound and a sharp pain dotted on various parts of her body where skin was exposed. Glass.

Coughing, Riley very slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, blinking debris from her eyes.

_"Sorry, Harrow," _said Clint in her earpiece.

"Yeah, was there no way you could have warned me in advance about that little detail?" Riley groaned back.

_"Well, are you all right?"_

"I'll survive..." Riley tilted her head slightly to look across the room, to where Loki lay on the ground, also covered in glass and slightly scratched, but otherwise unscathed. He rose steadily to his feet, shooting her a look that suggested she had been the one that shot the explosive arrow at the ship.

"Clever," Loki hissed.

"All part of the plan," Riley bluffed, also getting carefully up from the ground.

"Well, I certainly hate to ruin a good plan," said Loki, grinning slightly as he turned in the direction of the portal, hoping to retrieve his scepter, "but I really must be—"

Loki's head jerked sharply to the right as Riley's knuckles made impact hard with his cheek, sending his black hair flying upward for a second. Perhaps it was the combination of Loki's spontaneous and humiliating peck on the cheek and the many jeers he'd thrown at her that had pushed her too far. Riley hadn't even known she'd done it, and she thought that maybe someone else had arrived to help, but the building soreness in her hand told the story.

"Was a good peck, by the way," said Riley, massaging her knuckles, "but next time, why don't you aim it for my _ass?"_

_"Nice burn, Marmaduke!" _Tony's voice echoed in Riley's earpiece. She hastily reached up to turn the switch to 'off'.

Loki staggered, half-surprised, half-injured. Despite his desire to keep a cool, unaffected outer shell, Loki raised one hand to touch his throbbing cheek, wincing as he did so.

_More and more surprises_...Perhaps the half-blood did in fact have some potential brewing.

Riley smirked at his silence, wiping dry blood from her lip, but she had to admit it. The bitterly cold shiver that run up her spine from his peck...hadn't been all that bad.

...

_Thanks again to everyone's reviews! They're very helpful :) Sorry this chapter was a bit short._

_Stargazer1364: Haha, thank you, I truly am flattered! She does have more control than Loki gives her credit for, but she can also be a bit of a mess sometimes when it comes down to really keeping her powers from getting out of hand._

_elizabeth14: Thanks, I'm also glad Loki wasn't able to take over her; that would not have been a very pretty picture._

_Ice Gal: Yeah, being mortal and all, I'd probably just try to run away...and fail. Thanks, and don't worry, the word tar is pretty amusing ahaha _


	7. Chapter 7

_Oh wow, all of your reviews are so kind, I'm positively beaming right now! Thank you._

_..._

Riley snuck a glance over her shoulder, careful to not let Loki out of her sight, so she could survey her surroundings: Stark tower. Back at the beginning.

"Oh come now," said Loki finally to her last comment, rubbing his reddening cheek with an innocent smirk on his lips. Riley moved her gaze back to look at him, eyebrows raised questioningly. "That was only some fun. Don't act as though you didn't enjoy it."

Riley turned sharply on him, raising her fist again. Loki quieted.

"And that punch was just a taste of what I can do. Touch me again and I'll show you real fun," she warned. This wasn't actually too far from the truth; judging by the damage she'd already sparked in SHIELD once before, who was to say she would not 'accidentally' do the same again?

"Ah yes," Loki whispered, smiling pleasantly at her, "the inner beast. Do you really think, Miss Harrow, that I know nothing of your dangerously plausible power?"

"Well, let's see," said Riley, raising one hand to count mockingly on her fingers. "Exactly how many times did you say that I have no control or that I'm weak or that I'm just a mutt?"

Another grin on Loki's face followed her words. "I still stand by every word. I just know that you are lacking in the ability to maintain a cool demeanor. Am I wrong to assume that, should you get a tad bit too hot-headed, you would end up harming more than just your target?"

Riley opened her mouth, then closed it again. _Aw, damn it. He's got me _again.

She considered hitting him again. When in doubt, punch.

A look of utter delight played on Loki's face. "Oh, so that _is_ it, then."

"Maybe, maybe not." Riley bit her lip, then immediately regretted the decision as she tasted the blood from her cut. "But I'm sure you're not exactly Mr. Sunshine when someone pisses you off."

"I imagine it is more of a common thing among those with bad blood, such as yourself."

"Verbally abusing me isn't going to win you this war," said Riley coolly.

"Perhaps not, but it might just win me something else." One of the corners of his lip curved upward.

Riley glared at him. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was the inibility to decipher something. "You—"

"Besides, my rule is already in the palm of my hand," Loki continued, cutting across her. "You're already low enough on defenses, and while you could be out there actually doing your part to contribute to your 'team', you choose to bicker pointlessly with me instead."

Why did all of his points have to make sense? Her gaze subconciously darted to the window, where the war raged on. _Arguing with him isn't doing any good. You should be down there, fighting with the other Avengers. Loki deserves to be the rightful king. Wait...what was that last thought?_

Riley lifted her right hand, turning it over so she could see her wrist. Just as she suspected. The veins running through her arm were not only popped slightly more than usual, but were glowing a faint blue color.

So she hadn't completely shaken his control. Shit.

Without a second thought, Riley strode across the room to the shattered window, bending down to pick up a fallen bottle of alcohol. Loki watched her movements, his expression nothing short of bemused.

"What are you—?"

In one quick move, Riley promptly smashed the bottle as hard as she could against her own head. If Loki hadn't looked confused before, he certainly did now. Riley staggered forward, holding her throbbing head in pain, but pleased with herself. She suppressed a groan and straightened her composure, testing out her thoughts.

_Loki's evil. Right? Yes? No one here anymore to tell me he's some kind of savior? _

No second voice jumped in to voice their own oppinion. At least her pounding headache hadn't been for nothing, then.

"You know, I'm really beginning to question your state of sanity," said Loki.

"My sanity's fine," said Riley, checking her wrist. Sure enough, the glowing blue light was now receding away from her veins, all the way up her arm. "It was your stupid mind-controlling scepter that was the problem."

Loki's eyebrows raised. "Who said that I made you do something as idiotic as that? That was of your own free will."

"That's not what I meant," said Riley.

Loki suddenly stiffened and turned to look through the window of Stark Towers, his eyes widening in mild surprise then narrowing again. "The scepter-"

"Oh no you don't—"

Riley ran to stop him-shove him away, hit him again, whichever-but she found herself leaping straight _through _the god, falling hard on the floor on her face.

She could hear Loki's ringing laughter in her ears, from somewhere outside the window. Although sore from smacking straight onto solid ground, she hoisted herself back to her feet. She couldn't let him get to the scepter-she knew Natasha was trying to use it for something currently.

Riley was barely even at the window's edge when she had to dive backwards out of the way, just in time as none other than the Hulk smashed through the only un-broken window on the tower, carrying Loki with him. The enormous green beast fell to the ground, sending Loki rolling away from him, and got to his feet, snarling, ready to attack again.

_Well. That saves me another aggravating chase after Loki._

"Good job, Bann-er...Hulk," said Riley.

"Enough!" Riley turned in Loki's direction to see him back on his feet again, glaring menacingly at the Hulk with icy green eyes. "You are all of you beneath me! I am God, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by—"

The Hulk unhesitatingly seized Loki by the legs and began to smash him violently against the floor repeatedly, back and forth, then threw him aside to the ground, hard. The impact crushed the ground beneath Loki, leaving him buried into it.

The Hulk snorted as he turned away. "Puny god." His eyes went down to Riley, who felt immediately ten times shorter. She was sincerely glad at that moment that he was on their side, and that he hadn't managed to hurt her and Natasha before.

"Uh...thanks, Hulk. That was...well, briliant."

The Hulk merely grunted in reply, then proceeded to move to the window, running back into the fight. Riley glanced over her shoulder at Loki, who was still lying in the pile of rubble, making a strange whimpering/strained breathing sort of sound.

Although Riley would have most likely done the same exact thing to the git if she was the Hulk, she still couldn't help but feel Loki's pain. She gave a quick thanks to God that it hadn't been her...but then again, given that she wasn't a full-blooded Asgardian, she probably could have died from it.

"So, what exactly were you saying before?" said Riley, grinning down at Loki, glad to be taller than him, for once. "I seem to have forgotten."

Loki's eyes moved to look at her, filled with a combination of hatred and pain, but he either was too shocked to say anything, or just couldn't.

"Now, the question is, do I need to sit here and babysit you, or are you going to stay down there like a good little god, so Mum can go beat up more of your friends?" said Riley.

Loki glared at her. He opened his bleeding lips to say something, but Riley's earpiece buzzed. She turned away from him and switched it back to 'on.'

It was Natasha. _"I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!"_

_"Do it!"_ Steve ordered.

"And I'd advise fairly quickly," Riley added.

_"No, wait!" _Even as far away from each other as they were, Riley could feel Tony's burning aura, panicked.

_"Stark, these things are still coming!" _said Steve.

"What's the matter?" said Riley.

_"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute...And I know just where to put it."_

Riley frowned. "Wait, Tony, what do you mean?"

But Tony didn't answer her. Riley gave Loki one last look (He was still lying in the same position, wincing), then fled to the window, jumping out onto the balcony-ledge where Natasha stood, next to the portal. She was holding the scepter up, pointing it at the power source, but not using it just yet.

"Harrow," Natasha acknowledged. She was decently bruised and scuffed up, but otherwise, she was okay. "Where've you been?"

"Playing mind games with Loki," said Riley. "But that's not important. What's Stark up to?"

Natasha didn't have to answer her. In that second, Iron Man rocketed past them, gripping a large white missile in his hands. As Riley watched, he flew up, toward the actual portal.

"Oh no," said Riley, bringing one hand up to cover her mouth. "He isn't doing what I think he's doing...is he?"

"I don't know what you're thinking," said Natasha, "but I'm thinking we might not see him again."

_"Stark, you know that's a one way trip,"_ Steve pointed out.

Tony didn't answer him. Instead, he said, _"Give Rock of Ages one last kick for me, all right, Winn-Dixie?"_

Riley knew right away that he was referring to her. "No, you're going to be fine," she said back, mostly lying to herself, as her eyes began to shimmer with fresh tears. There was something she'd never thought she'd ever see herself doing: Crying over the man who spent over half of their conversations poking fun at her. "You're going to be fine and you can do it yourself."

And Tony disappeared into the portal, vanishing from sight. Natasha hesitated, holding the scepter poised to attack the portal. Riley silently prayed, staring up at the portal with blurring vision.

A faint exploding sound emitted from the portal, one that could only be the work of the missile, and Steve shouted, _"Close it!"_

Natasha gave the portal one last fleeting look, then jabbed the scepter at the power source. The gateway slowly began to close in on itself, and the hole from which everything kept entering through shrunk, smaller and smaller, until-

At the last second, just as the open gap snapped completely shut, Iron Man plummetted out from it, falling from the sky.

"Wow, how's that for last-minute?" said Riley, but she was grinning like an idiot.

_"Sun of a gun,"_ said Steve.

Natasha shook her head, smiling. "Leave it to Iron Man to-"

_"He's not slowing down!" _Thor interrupted. Riley looked back and, sure enough, Tony continued to fall at a rapid pace. Evidently he'd been knocked out...or worse.

"Thor, Steve!" Riley shouted into her earpiece, no doubt hurting their eardrums. "One of you stop him before-"

But just as Tony was halfway down the side of one of the many destroyed buildings, the Hulk leapt out of seemingly no where, catching the unconcious man in his bulky green arms. Riley hastily ran to the side of the building and began to climb down, with Natasha close behind. She jumped about seven feet away from the ground and staggered over to Tony's side, kneeling down at his head. His mask had been removed.

"Stark? Stark, can you hear me?" Rilley gave his side a rough shake. "Stark, hey! Don't you _dare _be dead, come on..."

But Tony's face remained blank, lifeless, his eyes shut tight. Riley blinked back returning tears, refusing to let them fall, but just as she reached forward to pointlessly shake him again, the Hulk roared tremendously loudly in fury.

Tony gave a great start, his eyes flying open at the sound. "Whoa! What the hell? What just happened?"

Riley laughed, incredibly relieved. Despite his teasing, she would never have wished him dead, not in a million years.

"Please tell me nobody kissed me?"

"I did," said Riley.

"What?" Tony demanded, turning to look at her in alarm. "No way, you better have not-"

"Chill out," Riley laughed again, grinning. "I was just kidding. No worries."

Tony relaxed. "Good. Because I would have had to seriously hurt you if that was the case, Old Yeller."

"We won," said Steve breathlessly.

"Alright. Hey, alright! Good job, guys. Let's...just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

Riley rolled her eyes, but the idea of food was very tempting to her empty stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten something.

"We're not finished yet," said Thor.

"And then shawarma after," said Tony determinedly.

They returned back to Stark's penthouse, stepping over the shattered glass everywhere, and approached Loki. He was only just now sitting up, groaning softly in pain. He didn't notice the group for a moment, as they crowded around him, all drawing their weapons and pointing them straight for him.

Loki turned his head slightly, not in the least bit surprised to see them there.

"If it's all the same to you," he said quietly, managing an innocent half-smile, "I'll have that drink now."

...

"So, I suppose this is where we say our goodbyes," said Tony, extending one hand to Riley, who took it in her own, shaking it proudly.

"I suppose," said Riley, unable to keep a smile off of her face.

"You know, for a British crossbreed mutant creature, you're not half bad."

"And I could say the same about you, Mr. Conceited, over-inflated ego," said Riley.

Tony grinned. "Take care, all right, Balto?"

"I will. And the same to you, Stark."

Riley moved to each Avenger in turn, saying her goodbyes. They were incredibly bittersweet-although she'd only known them for a short period of time, these outcasts felt like family, and she was sad to see them go.

"Romanoff," said Riley, giving Natasha a short hug.

"Harrow," Natasha returned. "I hope to someday see you again at SHIELD, if at all possible."

Riley laughed. "Sorry, but after last time, I hardly see that as a likely event."

"You never know. If you really wanted to come back, I can be pretty...persuasive." Natasha winked.

"Thanks for the offer. I make have to take you up on that," said Riley. She didn't like the idea of whatever Natasha was planning, in order to get Riley back on the team, but she had to amit it: She really did miss SHIELD, and returning to her desk job as a writer would not be easy.

Next, Riley turned to Steve, reaching out to shake his hand. Instead, Steve pulled her into a tight hug, crushing her lungs and leaving her flustered.

"Miss Harrow," said Steve, patting her on the shoulder.

"I prefer Riley," Riley answered, beaming. "Maybe sometime I'll come visit you, huh? Bring you up to speed on some of the current things around here?"

Steve nodded, and he flashed her a pearly-white smile. "I'd like that."

Riley fist-bumped Clint Barton next and chatted for a bit, slightly longer than the others.

"Sorry you didn't exactly get to know me very well," said Clint, running a hand through his hair. "You know, because I wasn't actually me for half of the time."

"That's all right. From what I gathered, you're a pretty decent man. And you really need to help me with my archery skills."

"Fine by me."

Riley then shook hands with Dr. Banner, who returned her warm smile in kind.

"It really was a pleasure to meet you, doctor. Both as you and as the 'Other Guy'."

Dr. Banner smirked. "I find that second bit hard to believe, but thanks anyway."

"No, really," said Riley honestly. "It kind of reminded me of...myself. Just green and ten times bigger than me," she added.

Finally, Riley reached out to shake Thor's hand, but he seized it, planting a light kiss on the top of it.

"Um...th-thank you, I guess," Riley stammered; she had a feeling she'd never get used to that. "I hope you're trip back to Asgard goes smoothly."

"About that," said Thor, releasing her hand. "I was actually wondering something: Would you like to come back to Asgard with us?"

Riley's jaw dropped. "You...wait, you want _me _to come with you to—?"

Thor nodded, grinning at her reaction. "Yes. Why so shocked? I just figured that you would want to visit your 'home planet,' considering you are half-Asgardian."

Riley stammered, fumbling over her words. "I just...wow. Asgard? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to go, but..."

"But?"

Riley looked up from her hands to smile at him. "But nothing, really. I'm actually really honored that you'd ask me that, and...I would have to say yes."

Thor's expression lit. "You're going to love it. The scenery, the atmosphere, the people—"

A great snort stopped Thor mid-sentence. Loki had been fashioned a metal, tight muzzle over his mouth, leaving him unable to speak to any of them—or, for that matter, curse them out and heavily threaten, using verbal magic of some sort. The god had never looked more disgruntled, with his dark emerald eyes narrowed and his expression sour. His hands were cuffed in front of him.

"I'm sorry, what was that, Loki?" said Riley, leaning in toward him. "You're going to have to repeat that for me, my hearing is quite poor."

Loki glared irately at her, firing daggers into her heart, but she grinned back at him amiably.

Riley went over a list of things in her head, but for the life of her, she could not find a reason to stay behind. She was a retired SHIELD worker doing simplistic writing for newspapers and such, had no 'love' connections whatsoever, and no family. It would be like returning to her cave of isolation, away from the rest of the world…But in Asgard…

"What if they don't like me?" Riley asked Thor, knowing how childish it sounded. "I mean…I _am _just a half-blood. They probably favor mortals much."

Thor laughed good-naturedly. "If anyone gives you any problems, they'll have to face me."

Riley beamed up at him, her brown eyes brightening in excitement. "Thank you, Thor. That's…actually, quite sadly, more than anyone has ever done for me. And...well, I appreciate it more than you'll honestly know."

...

_Wow, eleven reviews, favorites, and twenty-three followers? I'm flattered. Honestly, all of your comments have made me the happiest person in the universe as of late! The problem is, all of you seem to be enjoying the story so much, I'm afraid one of my chapters may disappoint in comparison to the last. Let's hope that doesn't happen. Anyway, I also would like to apologize if any further chapters seem OOC; I'll have to be going off-script to do them._

_viktorskrumpet: I was honestly grinning like an idiot when I read your review. I'm so glad you like Riley; in most Avengers fanfictions I have read, the OC is usually picture-perfect, unflawed, and overall an amazing person. Those drive me mad! I want my character to be decently far from that stereotype, average at best in appearance (I like the idea that a person can be loved without being drop-dead gorgeous). Also, thank you! It's hard to fit her into the plot with all of the other characters. I feel as though I'm messing up a perfectly good plot, but I hope that's not the case. Um...wow, I did not intend this reply to be so long. I guess I got a bit carried away haha :)_

_stargazer1364: Well, I can't say too much without spilling anything from further chapters, but yes, Riley did have even me a bit concerned there haha. And yes, she probably destroyed whatever lick of satisfaction there was with that punch, if there was any. ;)_

_MorWolfMor: Thank you! I try :) And I'll do my best to not leave anyone hanging for too long before another chapter!_

_Ice Gal: Sorry, no spoilers ;) But thank you! And don't worry, I already finished the Hunger Games series, though I don't know how many people here have or not._


	8. Chapter 8

_Incredibly sorry that this chapter took so long for me to post!_

...

Riley couldn't contain her bubbling excitement. She was returning home—her _real_ home—and she would finally see the ones she secretly craved to one day meet. It just seemed...unreal. Like a dream of sorts.

Thor and Loki (Reluctantly) each took a hold of the Tesseract, and Thor gestured for Riley to join them.

"Why do you appear so apprehensive?" Thor asked her as she placed her hands onto the edge of the Tesseract. A cold energy of sorts surged into her body, running up her spine. "You will be welcomed as a hero."

Loki rolled his eyes. _A hero_, he thought, scoffing internally at the idea. _Why lie futher to the girl? Asgard is no place for a mortal_.

"I really didn't do much, honestly," said Riley modestly, but she was beaming brighter than a star.

Thor answered her in only a returned grin. At that moment, they were swept up into the Tesseract's power, and the last thing that passed Riley's line of vision was Steve Rogers, climbing aboard his motorcycle and waving goodbye to her. A swirling sensation erupted in Riley, tugging at her stomach and making her feel sick. A blue-violet color engulfed the trio, and Riley felt her feet lift off of the ground. She shut her eyes tightly, as to avoid losing the shawarma she'd consumed, and within a few seconds, they returned to solid ground.

Riley inadvertently let go of the Tesseract, and she crumpled in a pile on the floor, winded.

"First time using teleportation?" Thor guessed, bending down and offering his hand to her.

"Can't say I remember ever doing it," said Riley as she took his hand, returning to her feet. She gazed around, taking in her surroundings: The architechure suggested she had gone back in time, which was further heightened as a group of horses galloped by, all accompanied by men and women in capes and warrior-like outfits. The place was beautiful. Riley could not remember a time she'd ever seen some place more breathtaking...but then, she hadn't been many places before. People (Asgardians, no doubt) wandered about in all directions, wearing long dresses and robes.

"Asgard," she breathed, making a complete circle to get a good look at everything.

Thor's lip curved upward in a smile as he watched her. "What did I tell you, Riley Harrow?"

"It's even better than I pictured." Riley's eyes moved back to Thor, lit with awe. "Beautiful, actually. But...what now?" Her eyes had darted back to Loki, who was still chained up and glowering, his expression spiteful.

"Well, in your case," said Thor, taking her by the arm and leading her down the pathway, "you shall be led up to your room, where you will stay, for the time being. I, on the other hand, shall be dealing with my brother.

"His punishment, you mean," said Riley, looking to Loki once again. She couldn't, for the life of her, explain the strange feeling of pity that welled up inside of her. It didn't make any sense whatsoever...Loki had destroyed the city, killed handful after handful of innocent people, and attempted to rule the Earth. _But for a purpose_, she thought. _He did think what he was doing was right...it made sense to his mind._ She almost hoped that, when answering for his crimes, he would not recieve too harsh of a sentence.

Loki said nothing, but his emerald eyes flickered over to look at her, then away again. And yet, in that tiny, miniscule moment, a plea of sorts stabbed Riley in the heart, and the first sign of actual fear spread across his face like wildfire. Riley forced herself to not glance his way, for fear that she might ultimately do something stupid.

"Yes," Thor answered. "I shall return to you when the trial is over, but for the time being, I'm afraid you must stay out of the way."

Riley nodded, respecting his request. She knew that Odin, the AllFather, probably wouldn't be too happy with Thor that he had brought along the daughter of a criminal, and it would only make things worse if she were to show up and get in the way of Loki's sentence. She did not have an oppinion to voice, not here, in a world that was not her own.

Thor led both her and Loki up through the palace (He could not currently leave Loki by himself), then through a long, winding corridor, up to a pair of tall, dark double doors. The entire way there, Riley was met with curious and prying looks from Asgardians passing by, some simply confused and others cold and unwelcoming. In her black, casual outfit, she could have very well been running around shouting, "I'm not from around here!" She hoped that most of the stares were for Loki, not her.

"These lead up to two of the royal rooms." Thor's expression was oddly apologetic. "One of them is my brother's, but the one near it is open. I hope you forgive me...we do not have many places to house you, as your appearance here was not expected."

"No, no, it's all right," said Riley, avoiding Loki's eyes; she had a feeling it was most certainly_ not_ "all right" with him.

"I shall see you in a few hours or so," said Thor, backing away with Loki at his side. "Make yourself comfortable, Riley of Midgard."

"You can just call me Riley," said Riley. "Or, you know, Psychique Femme. But that's just my undercover name, so..."

She watched Thor turn away, vanishing back down the hallway, and looked back to the doors, sighing. It just felt so...weird. The idea that Riley Harrow, the half-human, half-Asgardian woman, formerly working as a writer, was now standing in the glorious palace of Asgard.

Riley trudged up the stairs behind the doors, making her way up to the bedrooms. It took no time at all to tell which was Loki's—she peered inside one of them experimentally and a cold chill greeted her from inside. She knew that the other bedroom was the guest's one, but curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped inside.

The ceiling soared upward to heaven, and dark curtains shielded any light from coming in through the window. The green sheets on the four-poster bed were made up neatly, appearing un-used for quite some time. Beyond a couch, a desk, and a chair, there was no other furniture. Riley drew her arms around herself as the icy temperatures coiled around her. She backed quietly out of the room, shutting the door softly, and moved to open the other bedroom door.

Mimicking the first room, the guest bedroom was built in the same structure, but it was far less cold. An open window in the corner blew in a light gust of wind, sending Riley's brown hair flying backward.

Riley laid down on the bed, rolling onto her back. The events of the day seemed as though they were weeks ago, but the dry (and fresh) blood on her skin reminded her otherwise. After a few minutes of empty thoughts, she got back on her feet and moved to the bathroom, to wash away the blood and clean her various wounds. The cool water felt amazing against her skin, tempting her, and she ended up stripping her clothes to take a long soak in the tub.

Minutes passed, one after the other. Riley sank deep into the cold water, watching the hands ticking away on the clock. Perhaps someone was putting up a fight in favor of Loki, coming to his defense...Or maybe his sentence was being slowly decided, carefully picked. Would it be painful? Would he be jailed away, or perhaps even put to death for his crimes?

Riley shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. She wasn't sure exactly how much time she spent in the bath, but after a while, she began to grow cold again and climbed out, fashioning a towel around her body. _Thor should be coming up here anytime now_, she thought to herself. Truth be told, what she really wanted was to meet some of the Asgardians, to chat with them and perhaps get to know them better. Of course, there was still that gnawing, fearful sensation in her gut that made her question...Would they treat her any differently?

She returned to her previous clothes (Much to her dislike; they were covered in a combination of dust, debris, and blood) and began to pace about the room, feeling trapped, as though she were locked in an enclosed, cramped cage. She picked up everything that was tangible, examined it, and put it back in its place. Finally, just when she'd begun to think Thor had forgotten her, there was a heavy knock on the door.

"How'd it go?" Riley demanded the moment he entered.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. I appealed to my father," said Thor, sweeping into the room, "and asked that he have mercy on Loki. He is my brother, after all."

"What was his sentence?"

Thor drew in a deep breath. "Loki is to be kept inside the palace, as he is now under...what was that word you humans use? 'Probation'?"

Riley blinked in surprise. "Is that it?"

"He is now being strictly monitored, and he cannot go to any other realm but ours. Should he be caught doing anything, there will be dire consequences."

"He killed countless people," said Riley, her eyes narrowing, "and that is all the punishment he gets?"

Thor placed one firm hand on her shoulder. "I know he deserves much, much more, but our problems are not yet over. We can only do so much to him without starting an issue with certain other worlds...Loki could potentially be in much more trouble; he never brought the Tesseract to the Chitauri, and—"

"—and they've promised all kinds of pain for him, if he failed to do so, right?" Riley finished.

Thor nodded, a little sheepishly. "Correct. That...that is another reason that I offered to have your presence here in Asgard."

Riley's eyebrows traveled up her head. "What do you mean?"

"I am sure that we will need all the aid we can get, and I have learned it does not do well to turn down possible help."

"So you want me to fight _another_ war?" Riley demanded. _"Another?"_

"It is only a request," said Thor, taking her hand in his. "You will have much time to think on it, I assure you."

Riley hesitated, letting the whole situation sink in. She'd barely managed in this war, and now he wanted her to fight in another? She hardly had any control over her powers, which were going from bad to worse...What if, this time around, she lost it...?

"We...would also have to train you some," said Thor, as if he had read her thoughts like a book, "as I have heard you are not the best when it comes to keeping your Asgardian side tamed, correct?"

Riley merely pursed her lips together tightly in defiance, knowing in her mind he was right, but not wanting to accept it.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

Thor blinked, surprised at the change of subject. "Being stripped of his title. He can no longer become a king, should there be another circumstance where the power falls to him." Thor wiped a stray speck of dirt Riley had missed from her cheek. "But worry not for him. Considering the price he should have paid, he is very fortunate. Are you in need of any nourishment?"

"What, dinner?" Riley shook her head; she'd already had the shawarma earlier, and after all that had happened, she wasn't feeling very hungry. "No thank you...But, I have to ask. Did you tell anyone of my arrival yet?"

Thor's brilliantly blue eyes darkened slightly. "I have spoken with my father about it."

"And?" Riley urged, preparing for the worst.

"And he is all right with it." Although Thor offered her a smile, Riley sensed something deeper in his words. Was he lying, or perhaps stretching the truth? It would come as a great surprise to her if Odin had just taken her appearance there in Asgard lightly.

"That's good," said Riley, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. "Is that..._all_ he said?"

"Well, you may speak with him tomorrow yourself," said Thor, running a hand through his beard, deep in thought. "I expect you are wanting to rest, after everything today?"

"Rest is good." Riley sank back against her bed, suppressing a yawn. "I could go for some sleep."

Thor nodded. "I assumed right, then. Meet me in the dining hall tomorrow, won't you? We will have much to discuss."

"Of course."

Thor swept over to the doorway once again, nodding goodnight to her as he shouldered his way out.

"And Thor?" Riley added.

"Yes?" said Thor, turning slightly to look at her over his red-draped shoulder.

Riley managed a small smile, which was far more than she felt like doing at the moment. "Thank you."

As she burrowed into the layers of covers and sheets, Riley's mind raced about in her head, preventing her from sleeping.

_Well, there's a pretty decent chance that I'll be incinerated by Odin tomorrow_, Riley thought as she turned restlessly onto her side,_ but maybe Thor's offer for me to aid them in their war will diminish some of his fury. Maybe._

...

_Okay, so I'd just like to take a moment to apologize beforehand, in the event that I ever possibly disappoint. The thing is, Thor 2 is yet to come out, and I don't have a whole lot to work with currently, so from this point on, this story is now my guinea pig. If you know any more potentially helpful information about the next movie, please let me know, so I can make this as accurate as possible. I have a feeling that, now that I have no actual script and plot to go by, things may go downhill from here. Feel free to let me know (Not in flames, please) if you think I am getting OOC at any point, and I'll do what I can to correct things. Thank you!_

_Wow! All of you posted such amazing, kind reviews. Thank you for the motivation, guys! There are so many, though, that I'm afraid I will only be replying to the longer/less general ones._

_MorWolfMor: Thanks! Riley isn't exactly as smart as she likes to think she is, but I'm not sure whether that decision to hit herself was clever or idiotic haha._

_Stargazer1364: Haha, we can only hope that the bottle was already empty, or Tony might be pretty upset with her. And yes, I had a certain plan in mind pertaining to a couple of possible new OC characters, but you'll just have to wait and see! ;)_

_Viktorskrumpet: Thank you so much! Yes, once Loki can speak again, he'll be sure to strike up more disputes with Riley...he certainly seems to get a kick out of driving her mad (Apparently her anger is pretty amusing to others, ie: Stark). And that means a lot to me, I really hope that I do not let you down in the coming chapters!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks again for sticking with me, guys! I've had a lot of stuff to do recently, so I'm sorry if my updates aren't regular._

...

Riley hurriedly moved to pick up the fallen stack of books, placing them back onto the shelf, flustered.

She'd awoken that morning to a pile of assorted clothing laid out for her, no doubt by the servants. It mostly consisted of dresses, but as she was partial to pants, Riley ended up picking a warrior-like outfit, fashioned from metal and some sort of burgundy material. She wasn't particularly happy that the bottoms were a skirt, but it came with leggings underneath.

The problem was, the underclothes were _so damn tight._ Riley questioned more than once whether it was just the outfit, or her weight, and her mind was drawn back to Agent Romanoff, who easily slipped into a skin-tight black suit. In the process of pulling on the leggings, she'd ended up knocking into the book shelf in the corner, taking out an entire row of novels.

She sighed, finally managing to fit into the underclothes, and pulled the metal armor on over it. With a critical look at her reflection in the mirror, she finally moved to the door, taking a deep breath before shoving it open. So many concerns swirled through her mind, tugging at her heart. What if Odin didn't approve of her? What if, for being a half-blood, he'd banish her back to Earth? Or worse still...what if he were to slay her on the spot?

Riley gave an involuntary shudder and headed down the stairs, back through the main doors leading to her room. She paused at the bottom and looked from left to right, wondering which way to go. _It would've been nice of Thor to give me directions_, she thought, partly annoyed. She didn't remember seeing the dining hall on the way up to her room yesterday, and it wasn't like she'd been in Asgard before.

The hallway was dimly-lit, and no other Asgardians were anywhere in sight. Apparently most everyone had already gotten up and gone to breakfast. Riley chewed her finger nail nervously. She didn't want to make herself even more lost by going off in some wrong direction, but she also didn't want to be late.

"Good morning."

Riley jumped nearly two feet in the air and turned around in alarm. A dark figure was descending the stairs behind her, their cape sweeping against the steps beneath them. As the light touched his face, Riley recognized him as none other than Loki. He looked slightly different, now equipped in regular Asgardian clothing, without his helmet. His inky black hair was slicked back and had been cut slightly shorter, neater.

Loki's cold eyes moved slowly to look the girl up and down. Nothing impressive. Even in the typical Asgardian attire, she didn't nearly live up to the standards of the pined-after Asgardian women, with her mousy hair and plain face. Average.

His lips curved upward at her expression, and continued to do so as Riley took a step away from him.

"Something the matter, Harrow?" he asked.

"You stay away from me," Riley warned, taking another step back. Her hands began to glow a dangerous red color, extending from her fingers to her wrist. Loki's sharp green eyes darted down to it, then back up again. He managed a pleasant smile, but Riley could easily see underneath its shell.

"What makes you think I'm going to harm you?"

"Touch me and I'll give you the punishment you deserve," said Riley.

"Oh? And what penalty do you think I should have merited?"

"I'm not playing this game with you."

Loki swept down the last few stairs toward her, and Riley raised her hands higher to chest level. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Half-blood, I believe we both know how this would end," said Loki. Each step he took in her direction Riley took back, until she was pressed against the wall behind her. "I believe I have voiced before that you cannot command your 'abilities,' well and will therefore end up doing more harm than good."

Riley's threatening expression wavered. He'd seen through her bluff.

"The Allfather," said Loki, careful to not refer to him as his own father, "has offered me a second chance." Of course, Loki knew better than to trust that his punishment from Odin was over. Thor had defended him in the trial with all his heart, and the Allfather had relented, but The God of Mischief and Lies could not be fooled. He'd seen the curious glint in Odin's eyes, the look of wonder as he sentenced Loki...this was not over. "Why don't you?"

"You murdered Phil," Riley spat, glaring at Loki with flaming eyes. "You blew any trust you could have earned from me."

Loki tilted his head to one side. "The agent, yes? Were you fond of him?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," said Riley firmly, lowering her hands and extinguishing the crimson balls of light. She didn't want to think about her coworker, her friend...the memories of him were too fresh in her mind, his death...

Loki exhaled a small breath of air. It would not be so easy, regaining this one's trust. He could tell from the look in her eyes, the heavy way she breathed, the clench of her hands...But he was indeed the God of Lies, wasn't he? If there were ever a person for the job, it would be him. And when he did, he would crush her like all the other fools.

He managed another soft smile. "Then it will not be had. Were you headed to the dining hall? Or were you planning to just stand here all morning?"

Riley's eyes narrowed at him. For a man who had attempted to take over an entire planet, killed countless numbers of people, and been forced back to his home planet, he was certainly calm. She wrinkled her nose, trying to detect anything in him. Normally with mortals, it was fairly easy to read their auras and interpret what they were thinking. But with Loki? It was as though nothing lay behind his icy green eyes. But she wasn't about to fall for anything. Not after all he'd done.

"If you would be so kind," said Riley, dragging out her words as though she were speaking to a child or someone mentally challenged, "might you show me where the dining hall is?"

Loki returned her words just as slowly, "But of course. It would be my pleasure."

Riley followed behind Loki at a distance, her guard on an all-time high. She wanted to be ready at any time, to not hesitate like before...No, she would be the one to keep the upper hand in his game. They reached a large, white room, just as beautiful and dignified as the rest of the palace. A rather long, wooden table took up most of the space in the room, topped with a variety of foods, some of which Riley did not recognize.

She trailed behind Loki down to the head of the table, doing her best to ignore the many stares that followed them (Most likely for both of them, not just her), till she reached the front. Two seats opposite of Thor and a dark-haired Asgardian woman sat empty. Loki pulled out one of them and calmly took his seat. Riley hesitated in front of the other one. She'd frozen again in place, as her eyes met an old man, sitting at the very head of the long table. He had wispy white hair and wore a golden eye patch over his right eye. His other blue one moved to look at her, and Riley swallowed nervously. She didn't like this feeling of authority that Odin had over her. It was not often that she was able to hold her tongue and dish out respect to anyone but those who truly deserved it (Although it usually got her into trouble). But now? She was standing before a king. A king! She feared that if she said the wrong thing or stepped out of line, serious consequences would follow.

"Riley Harrow," said the old man, rising from his seat to look at her. The already hushed chatter in the room extinguished and Riley felt all eyes burn into her skin.

"Hello, sir," said Riley in a barely audible voice. She could feel her legs shaking slightly, but she made no effort to stop them. It was incredibly uncomfortable, with all of the Asgardians' gazes on her, some no doubt disapproving, judging her...

"Riley," said Thor from across the table, and her eyes moved to look quickly at him, "this is my father, Odin Allfather. It's...customary that you bow."

"Oh...oh! Sorry!" Riley hastily moved to get down on one knee, unsure of how to kneel as she had not done it to anyone before, but Odin raised his hand to her in a "stop" motion.

"That is unnecessary," said Odin, motioning for her to rise.

She stood up a bit too abruptly, hitting her head on the table. There was a short scatter of giggles and snickers, and Riley felt her face burn bright red, her head pounding in pain.

"You may take your seat." Odin gestured to the open chair beside Loki.

"Er, yeah. Thanks." Riley dropped into her seat with one hand on her head, ill at ease, but nevertheless glad that she had not yet been blown to pieces.

"Now, Thor has already explained your presence here to me, as of last night," said Odin, "and I agreed that you do indeed rightfully have a place here in Asgard. You had absolutely nothing to do with...your father's actions," he continued, "and therefore you are not in any way in the wrong."

Riley blinked in blatant surprise and opened her mouth to say something, but no sound followed. What _could_ she say? "That's—that's very kind of you, sir. Thank…thank you." _You have such an impressive way with words, Riley._

Odin merely returned her sad excuse for words with a pleasant smile, and he reached for his goblet. "Of course, there is one other thing we must discuss."

Riley looked back up at him. She'd hoped to be in the clear already, and wished that he had stopped the conversation. She liked where it ended, on a high point.

"Yes? Sir?"

"It has come to my attention that you are not fully aware of your power," said Odin, "nor of how to control it."

Loki smirked. _Well, dear Allfather, it seems you have finally gotten something right for once._

Riley bit her tongue hard, internally reminding herself over and over again to remain polite. "Well, no one's _perfect_..."

"My son tells me this has been a problem in Midgard." Odin gestured to Thor. "I hear you have even potentially harmed some Midgardians?"

"I—well, that's—" Riley spluttered. Although she knew she was right, she felt as though she were being targeted. How many different ways could people basically tell her she was a failure?

"Well, I have devised a solution. I have discussed it with my son, Thor, and it has been decided. Most of us Asgardians have already had proper training from a young age, but you did not grow up in such an environment. You need a teacher, quite possibly even more than most of us, as you are of...mixed blood. Whether you have known this or not, you are quite powerful. I am sure Thor has told you of the thought of an oncoming war, and we should need our warriors to be prepared."

Riley raised her eyebrows at him, silently urging him to go on, wondering where he was going with this.

"Therefore," said Odin, "I have found you the perfect tutor." His one good eye moved to look to Riley's right.

For a moment, Riley did not register anything. Then, as though it pained her to do so, she turned very slowly to follow Odin's gaze, confirming her dread. _Loki._

At first, Loki continued to maintain his amiable expression. Then, as the Allfather's words began to dawn on him, his smile gradually began to disintegrate, his eyes narrowing in sheer rage. He could have run through the possibilities of it being a joke or a trick, but he knew his 'father' better than that. No, he was dead serious about this. It was the other part of his punishment he'd been dreading all night and morning, the reason behind Odin's curious eyes.

But the God of Mischief was not going to be outsmarted.

Loki replaced his furious, deep-lined frown with the previous diplomatic smile. "Why, this is quite the honor," said Loki softly, turning to look at Riley with soft eyes. Her expression showed nothing short of sheer terror. "I should be glad to do it."

"Very good," said Odin, as Riley looked between the two with an open-mouthed look, like a fish out of water.

And with that, the conversation ended.

Loki remained as good-natured as his anger would allow. The very idea of being forced into working with the hotheaded, scatterbrained mongrel made his teeth grind together. What did Odin _possibly_ hope to gain from it? Was it simply to just get the satisfaction of torturing him? Or was he hoping that the girl would somehow 'reform' him? If so, then he would be sorely disappointed.

And yet, the former king had already begun to devise a plan in his mind, a way to work this to his benefit…Perhaps he could combine this objective with his other; if he managed to gain the half-blood's trust as her mentor, then maybe, just maybe, Odin's foolhardy plan would fall through, and the Mischief god's own would conquer…

Riley remained like a popsicle in her seat, certainly feeling much like Captain America did in the ice. The only things upon her body that moved were her eyes, looking from Loki, to Odin, to Thor, then back again. Her mind just couldn't wrap around the idea of Loki being her teacher...How could Odin _do_ such a thing to her? They'd only just met! What did she do to deserve this? He could have easily made Thor her mentor, not the silver-tongued god...

"Are you not hungry?" said Thor, breaking into Riley's thoughts. It was only then that she realized that a porcelain plate had been placed in front of her, as well as trays of food with serving spoons, forks, and knives. Actually, when she awoke, Riley had been incredibly hungry, wanting nothing more than a good meal. But now? Now she felt sick to her stomach...

"No, of course I am," Riley lied, spooning eggs onto her plate, along with a variety of meats, bread, and vegetables. Every bite felt like torture, especially in her skin-tight underclothes, and she frequently put down her fork to drain her goblet of water, just to have something else to do.

Loki did not eat much either, but Riley had a feeling he didn't usually anyway. She was still incredibly on-edge, sitting next to him. It felt so strange, casually eating breakfast next to a murderer who she'd been fighting in hand-to-hand combat just a day ago.

Riley's eyes lingered on the silver knife in Loki's hand, and she flinched slightly every time he used it.

Loki followed Riley's wide-eyed gaze as he ate, and he smirked. It was both humorous and a problem at the same time. On one hand, it was quite funny to watch the half-blood wince at his every movement, giving him a sense of authority over her. But on the other, it made it all the more difficult to make her trust him.

The moment breakfast was over, Riley rushed to confront Thor, grabbing him firmly by the arm.

"You didn't care to mention this to me last night," she hissed, looking over her shoulder at Loki, who was clearing his plate.

Thor frowned down at her, genuinely apologetic. "What could I do? My father is the king, Riley. His word is final."

"How can I train under someone who killed one of my only friends?" Riley retorted. Her voice broke somewhat, as finally began to give in to her tugging emotions. "All I can see is…him in his eyes. Phil, and the other innocent people that he thoughtlessly killed. Who's to say I won't be next?"

"My brother knows better than to do something like that here. He is already under 'probation,' and he would be chained up and slain for such an act on the spot. He may have been let off easy this time, but he won't be if he does it again."

"A second chance. Right," said Riley, shaking her head. "And to think, I could be at my work desk right now, writing a new article fo—"

"Please, Riley." Thor's vibrant blue eyes pierced Riley pleadingly as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Don't do anything rash. You must remember; there is always a reason behind everything that my father does."

Riley wasn't entirely sure whether Thor was using magic on her or not (She didn't think he knew any magic, so perhaps it was just his natural charms), but either way, she ended up giving in.

"All right. But I can't promise to be a good little girl."

"I don't expect you to," said Thor, smiling. "Not after being around you over the last few days..."

"It was mainly Stark's fault," said Riley semi-defensively. "He kept riling me up."

Thor removed his hand from her shoulder. "Anyway, you don't even have to trust Loki…I just ask that you please have faith in my father, and his decision."

"I'll do my best," said Riley with a small shrug, but doubt continued to creep about in her mind.

Thor's eyes moved left to glance over her shoulder. "Best not keep him waiting."

And Riley reluctantly returned to where Loki stood, unaware that he had been surveying their entire conversation.

…

_Hello! As always, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with Riley and I for this long, and I can only hope that you continue to enjoy the coming chapters! :D _

_Stargazer1364: Thanks! I agree; I would love to visit Asgard if I could! _

_Viktorskrumpet: Thank you! I guess this chapter answers your question. Oh, tell me about it. I absolutely can't stand it when the OC girl falls head-over-heels for the evil guy right away, after he's killed a bunch of people. I personally don't think I'd be quick to fancy my enemy…_

_MorWolfMor: Yeah, probably (: And thanks! I'm sorry this chapter took some time to post._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey, guys! Thanks again, love you all (:_

_..._

"Your stance is wrong."

"My 'stance' is fine, thank you very much."

"You're spinning an object, not giving birth."

Riley turned sharply to glare at Loki. They were standing together (Well...in the general area, anyway) out in the palace gardens, near the outer walls, practicing moving around various objects and rotating them. Up above them, the sky mimicked a murky grey color, making it fairly dark out, despite the time of day.

"This is child's play," said Riley. She was squatted slightly in a bent-knee position, with one arm out in front of her, conducting a maroon flower pot to spin in a circle, over and over again, at a constant speed. "How is _this_ supposed to train me for any oncoming war anyway?"

"It's not," said Loki, rolling his eyes. The half-blood was proving herself progressively more and more irritating...They'd only just begun her training, and already the girl was questioning his methods, stirring up unnecessary arguments. "Tell me, Miss Harrow, do words go in one ear and out the other with you? I've told you time and time again that you cannot control your power, and we are therefore fixing that first."

"Oh yeah, because spinning a pot is certainly going to solve that issue," said Riley, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Tell me, Loki, do you realize that your methods of teaching are lacking and you are just as incompetent as you claim your pupil to be?"

Loki considered slicing her to shreds with his silver tongue (Or perhaps quite literally shredding her, if he had his scepter on hand...), but he knew full well that the more he battered with her, the more she would come to loathe him, and the less work would get done. Instead, he maintained a calm composure as he answered.

"Once again, your control—"

"I'm _perfectly_ capable of—"

The flower pot violently burst in mid-air, sending shards and dirt flying in all directions. Riley flung her arms up over her head to shield herself from the falling debris, but they managed to attack her face regardless. Loki merely took a step back, and not a single speck of dirt landed on his robes.

It took all the strength she could muster to look sheepishly up at Loki, not wanting to acknowledge that she was wrong. He smiled smugly back at her.

"Don't _even_ say it." Riley wiped at the stray dirt on her cheek, but only smeared it worse.

"As I was explaining before you quite rudely interrupted me," said Loki, simply waving one pale hand over the shattered flower pot remains, repairing it in under two seconds, "you are like a bomb, just waiting to be lit. If simply my words themselves are igniting you, then think of how you will react in battle, when you are faced with true threats."

_You seem like a pretty 'true' threat to me, _Riley thought. _Considering all those people you killed.._.

"Do you want to go rushing into war like Thor, flaunting your abilities? Like an idiot?"

"Isn't that what you did?" Riley shot back.

Loki's eyes narrowed darkly, and Riley could've sworn she saw a flicker of red within them. "Do not _ever_ compare me to Thor. He swings his hammer about, just for the sake of it, like a mere child. I myself sought out only peace, using my magic because it is necessary. The difference between us is that I know my limits, and I have authority over my power, a concept both you and Thor cannot seem to grasp."

_Is _that_ why I'm not training under Thor?_

"All right, all right, I get the point, District 9." Riley re-directed her hand toward the flower pot again, causing it to rise into the air and slowly rotate in a circle. Once again, she'd been defeated by Loki's silver-tongue and reasoning.

"What you don't realize," said Loki, sinking onto the bench behind him as his frustration began to simmer, "is that you are already controlling more than just simply the rotation of a pot."

"How do you figure?"

"There is soil inside of it, correct?"

"Yeah. I still don't see your poin—"

"Before you let the pot slip and shattered it, the soil remained intact on the inside. It should have spilled out the moment you turned it upside down."

Riley could have very well slapped herself upside the head right then. "Oh, I get you...Okay, another point for the Asgardian prince, I suppose."

"King," Loki corrected.

"_I'll _choose the nicknames, thank you," said Riley, but in spite of herself, she was actually smiling. Her eyes tracked the flower pot's movements more intently now, curiously.

Loki himself felt the corner of his lips curve toward the ceiling. Her try-and-fail attempts were amusing, he would give her that much.

"Oi!"

Riley's concentration faltered and a second crash erupted. This time she was prepared, leaping back out of the way just in time as the shards pursued her, and she just barely made it out of the way in time. Upset with both herself and the new voice that had drawn her attention away, she half-turned in the direction of the call, eyes narrowed.

Two figures were making their way across the yard toward where Riley and Loki resided, waving their hands in greeting. The first man's days were clearly numbered; wispy white locks of hair and wrinkled, thin hazel eyes told the story. The other male was shorter in height, with dirty blond hair and the same set of hazel eyes as the first. He appeared no older than Riley.

Loki watched them as they approached, but did not make any sudden movements from his position on the bench. He'd seen the pair before, not often, but on occasion in the shadows of the palace, before his fall into the wormhole.

"Hello," croaked the older man, raising one hand to them in greeting.

"Ah...hello," said Riley, glancing over her shoulder back at Loki. Did he know them or something?

The elderly man stopped a few good feet away from where Riley stood, grinning. For a good solid ten seconds, he merely scanned her face, his eyes darting about. "Eyes just like your father. Same nose, too. But that chin...must be your mother."

Riley opened her mouth, then closed it again, taken aback. "I...wait. What?"

Loki drew up one eyebrow in the pair's direction. "Have you lost the ability of sight, or are you just thick-headed?"

The old man did not acknowledge Loki, but the younger one frowned over at him. "Beg pardon?"

"Can you not see that I, as well as my pupil, am currently busy?" Loki hissed. "State your business."

"Aberle Suttonson and my son, Kane Aberleson," said the older man. He spoke the names calmly, but Riley sensed a flicker of fear run through his aura. If he hadn't been before, then Loki certainly was someone to fear now, after all of the events over the past week. "I am aware of your teachings, but I only ask a moment of your student's time."

"Why?" said Riley quickly, before Loki could answer. "You were muttering something about my dad."

Aberle looked to Loki for a fleeting moment. "Might we speak alone?"

"Do not keep her. Five minutes tops," said Loki warningly. His voice could almost be mistaken for casual, but a threatening undertone worked its way through to his lips. The older Asgardian oddly struck him as familiar (besides having seen him around before), but he was not certain as to why.

"Of course." Aberle motioned for Riley to follow him.

They did not actually move very far (To keep in Loki's line of sight, but out of hearing range), only a small distance away from the palace wall, into the gardens. Riley kept her gaze on the blooming flowers on either side of the path, until the two men came to a stop, turning around. There was a moment's pause in which Riley simply looked between the pair silently, waiting for an explanation.

"Brown," said Aberle abruptly.

"Sorry?" said Riley.

"The same exact brown eyes." Aberle shook his head, running a hand down through his long, cotton-like beard. "Your father and I were once good friends. We grew up together, even worked together." A distant gaze overtook the old man, and he slowly moved back, to sit down on the planter's edge behind him. "Should have never been banned. Good man, Axis..."

"I am sure that he was," said Riley, but she did not question him. She liked to remain under the impression that her father was in fact a good person, despite whatever he did to warrant himself a lifetime ban to Earth...She preferred to have a mainly loving vision of the man, un-fogged by what would undoubtedly be an upsetting truth.

"I suppose I just wanted a good look at you for myself," said Aberle, propping his chin up on one wrinkled hand. "It's been so long since I last saw him...I never even knew he had a daughter till you showed up here."

Riley said nothing.

"Such an idiotic reason," Aberle continued. "Just because he tr—"

"With all due respect," said Riley, cutting across him, "I'd rather not know the reason behind his punishment."

Aberle's hazel eyes moved to stare at her unblinkingly. "What? You don't know?" he demanded. "How...how could you not? Why, your father—"

"Dad," Kane interrupted, shooting his father an annoyed look, "you're unsettling Miss Harrow."

"Oh, no, I'm not...I'm fine..." Actually, Riley breathed an internal sigh of relief, glad that his son had come to her rescue. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the small break away from the God of Mischief, but she also refused to accept whatever truth about her father Aberle knew.

It didn't matter anyway. The past was the past...whatever had happened then, she didn't need to know.

"So, learning from the snake, huh?" asked Kane, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them.

"What, Loki?" said Riley. She rolled her eyes. "Maybe not quite _learning _yet, really, but yeah."

Kane chuckled. "I would be terrified out of my wits if I was in your place...Does he like you?"

"Like me? _Like _me?" It was Riley's turn to laugh. "If anything, it's the opposite. I swear, he's planning my downfall every minute."

"What do you expect?" Aberle scoffed, his voice strangely disdainful. "He is, after all, a Fros—"

"I thought I was clear," said a thin voice, sending icy chills up Riley's spine, "when I said to not keep me waiting."

Loki had materialized at Aberle's shoulder, his expression nothing short of cold dislike. Both the father and the son gave a small jump and leapt to their feet.

"My apologies, sir!" said Kane hastily. Arbele said nothing.

"Harrow," said Loki with a short glance at Riley, gesturing slightly to their original practice sight over his shoulder. The flower pot had been repaired once again, lying ready for her on the ground.

"Right, right." Riley shook each of the men's hands once. "Nice meeting you two. See you around, then?"

"I'd like that," Kane returned, with a small smile. And with that, he and his father took off down the garden pathway, vanishing around the corner.

Loki and Riley returned back to their training spot. Riley was almost entirely certain that Loki would question her, but instead, he was unusually quiet, making only small, sometimes snide remarks on her techniques as she spun the flower pot again and again.

Eventually, Riley moved on to spinning two separate flower pots at the same time, attempting to keep them completely in sync with each other, without breaking or dropping either of them. Unsurprisingly, Riley smashed the new pot three times before finally getting the hang out of it, but by the time she was satisfied with her skills, it had begun to rain.

"Good timing, weather!" Riley shouted up to the sky as her clothes began to cling to her body, her hair sopping wet.

"We will move our training inside," said Loki shortly, drawing his royal robes around himself calmly as though the rain were not there. Riley followed him back into the palace, descending the long, coiling staircase into the large, ball-like hall. A decent number of Asgardians filled the room, all chattering loudly whilst drinking some sort of alcohol. None of the occupants wore anything fancier than their daily dresses and robes, so it did not appear to be a party...

"What's the occasion?" Riley asked, surveying the room.

"Foolishness," said Loki. "I try to avoid this room when possible. Keeping moving."

"Brother!"

"Damn."

Thor waved one muscular arm back and forth in their direction as he drew near, his wide smile affable. "Are you two all right? You look as though you've been through a hurricane." He spoke mainly to Riley.

"I would think that you of all people would know the weather outside," said Riley.

Thor laughed. "True. Why don't you join us for a drink?"

"No," said Loki curtly before Riley could interject her input. "We're busy."

"Oh, come now." Thor moved toward one of the long, white clothed tables outstretched behind them, scooping up two golden goblets filled to the brim with a honey-like liquid. "You cannot spare even a moment from your training?"

"Actually," said Riley, eyeing Loki sidelong with a mischievous sort of smile, "a break sounds quite nice. Thank you, Thor."

If looks could kill...

Loki breathed in deeply, trying to keep his animosity at bay. He knew Riley was only trying to get under his skin, but he would not give her the satisfaction of knowing she had. If there was one thing he disliked more heavy drinking, it was these little gatherings. Crowds of gossiping Asgardians in every direction, the high stench of alcohol on their breath...

"Very well." The smile Loki offered deeply reflected the opposite of his inner mood.

"But just a break," said Riley, brushing away the drink in Thor's hand. The combination of a hostile, hard-to-control half-blood and alcohol consumption did not mix well, she knew that much. The last time she'd had a drink or two was when she was working with SHIELD...She ended up blasting a gigantic hole right through Phil Coulson's window, during a small party he was holding.

"What's the matter?" Loki inquired innocently, taking the goblet from Thor and holding it out to her.

"I don't want it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Harrow."

"Unless you want to see a drunken girl burn holes in every one of these walls," said Riley through gritted teeth, "you'd do well to get that out of my face."

Thor chortled. "In your trip to Asgard, you did not lost your spark, I see...Oh!" He suddenly caught sight of something over Riley's shoulder, and he waved one hand in the direction of it. "Riley, I would like you to meet my good friends."

Loki sighed. _Oh_,_ how delightful._

A group of three men and a warrior-like woman crowded beside Thor, looking to Riley in polite interest. The three men varied in appearance and size, hitting all the natural hair colors but brunette. The woman among them was _very _beautiful, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Lady Sif and The Warriors Three," said Thor, gesturing to each man as he spoke their name. "Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg."

"Riley Harrow," said Riley, extending her hand to each of them.

"Have you been out in the rain?" asked Fandral, looking her up and down.

"Uh-huh. Have you not?"

Volstagg chuckled, popping a green grape into his mouth. "No, but we do not dislike it. And I see you've managed to bring the silver-tongue out of the shadows."

Loki merely nodded shortly to him, not leaning toward polite nor rude. He desired nothing more than to keep moving across the palace hall, into the indoor courts, to continue with his training. He would even return outside to the pouring rain if it meant getting away from these fools...

"Very nice to meet you," said Sif, dipping her head in greeting to Riley. "I quite like your shoes."

"Oh..." Riley wasn't sure whether Sif was trying to make a jab at her, or if she was serious; she was wearing the same shoes from Earth: Sneakers. Simple, plain, and actually pretty scuffed up and worn. "Um. Thanks."

"I have not seen them around Asgard before." Sif smiled. "They're unique."

Riley half-shrugged embarrassedly. "Well, that's one word for them, I guess. Er...is there a loo around here?"

"A what?" Thor asked.

"A...loo." Riley looked between them, frowning. "Powder room? Bathroom?"

"Oh yes—down that hallway, first door on the right," said Fandral, pointing across the room.

"Thank you."

Riley hurried off, weaving in and out through the crowd of Asgardians, till she reached the door labeled "Maidens." She heaved it open and stepped inside, locking it firmly. As she had hoped there would be, a towel rack hung on the wall, with three white towels hanging off of it. She grabbed for one, wiping both rain and sweat from her face.

Riley wasn't sure what had made her so nervous...Perhaps it was being surrounded by so many Asgardians at once, as their auras and powers were quite overwhelming. They were different than human's, stronger even. Riley continued to wring out her hair, so that it could at least be called presentable.

She wondered what the Avengers were doing...Had they themselves returned to their normal, everyday lives? Or were they also doing some form of work, training even? Natasha and Clint would surely be continuing their work as agents at SHIELD...but as for the others, she could not be certain.

Returning to the door, Riley pulled it back open once again and headed out. In the corner of the room, the majority of the group remained, but Riley noticed that Loki was no longer present with them...had he gone off to the loo as well?

Maybe she _did _need a drink. Riley hesitated in front of one of the long tables. She lifted one of the golden goblets, examining the precious and semi-precious jewels embedded in it. Nice touch.

She raised the glass to her lips, took a sip, and drew it away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Oh yeah. She'd forgotten how much she hated the taste of alcohol...It was probably due to the fact that the last time she was drunk, and could not even remember actually drinking the liquid itself.

"So, this is the half-breed, is it?" said a voice behind her, causing her to slop some of the drink from its goblet. "Harrow's daughter?"

Riley almost didn't turn around. It was nice meeting people back on Earth, when they didn't already know her name or her family tree and father's reputation. When she finally did look back, there was a male with sandy brown hair. He wore a seemingly permanent smirk on his face.

"Uh, yes," said Riley, placing the goblet back onto the table. "_Riley _Harrow, actually."

"Riley? Isn't that a dog's name?" The smirk widened.

Riley sighed, biting back the burning temptation to curse him out or return the remark in the form of a slap. _Don't do it. Don't you dare do it,_ She told herself; she figured she'd be used to the teasing by now, as she got if from Tony often, but...coming from someone she didn't even know yet? It seemed ten times worse.

"How do you even know what a dog is?"

"Thor isn't one to keep quiet about his tales of Midgard." The Asgardian male sneered at her. "So you're a female with a dog's name. Does that make you a bitch?"

It wasn't like Riley hadn't heard this taunt before. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with the jerks who spat these words in her direction. But for some reason, she faltered. She opened her mouth to retort, but no sound followed. Great. It was curious, how much more the curse hurt her than it would have on Earth. She'd built up a shield to it, an immunity...or so she thought. Instead, she just angrily blinked back the beginnings of hot tears welling in her eyes.

"And you have a face like that of a mule. Does that make you an ass?"

If Riley hadn't seen his lips move, she would have not thought it possible. She could have denied it, could have said that it had been merely her mind playing tricks on her...But no.

The God of Mischief had come to her defense.

For a split-second, the Asgardian man said nothing. He looked as though he'd been slapped hard across the face.

"I—I—Loki—" he spluttered, his eyes stretching wide in fright. "I didn't, um, see you there."

"Leave."

It was odd, how one word, spoken in the correct manner, could strike so much terror in a person. The Asgardian nodded quickly, tripped over his own feet, and took off in the other direction.

"I'm not very fond of that man," said Loki, turning on his heel, his cape billowing about behind him. "Don't think for even a second that that was for you."

But it didn't matter to Riley, who wiped her eyes hastily on her sleeve and followed him, covering a smile. Even if it wasn't for her sake, for once in her life, someone had actually come to her defense...

Strange that it happened to be the person she currently hated most.

_..._

_Viktorskrumpet: You're quite welcome! Yes, I'm not quite sure yet whether Odin's decision was brilliant or stupid, but I'm kind of leaning more toward stupid, given Riley's and Loki's relationship. And yeah, she's definitely not suave, to say the least haha...Anyway, thanks!_

_Stargazer1364: What? Wow! That's odd...I wonder what makes Odin so special? xD But what exactly do you mean by "tries something"? _

_Skye: Oh, it certainly helped! I'm beaming as I write this actually. Thankyousososomuch, you have no idea how happy this review makes me! I'm really flattered, honestly (: _

_MorWolfMor: Trust me, I've been trying to figure out Loki's character every time I write something with him. He's so complex, I keep fearing I won't do him justice! Thank you! :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_You lot continue to make me beam like an idiot! Thank you. :)_

_..._

_"Oh, damn it!"_

Riley groaned, feeling like hitting her head on the nearest wall as hard as she could. She scooped up the shattered remains of yet another glass window and laid them out on the long wooden table behind her.

So she'd survived her first day of training. Fantastic. Day number two, however, was nothing short of a downright mess. It was late afternoon, and Loki had left Riley alone in a hallway neighboring the one leading to the banquet room, with the task of creating her usual crimson spheres. She was supposedto be turning them into an icy cerulean blue (which apparently had more of an impact than her red ones), then using them to hit targets placed on the wall in front of her.

Somehow, Riley had managed to miss every single target hanging before her, but nearly every window lining the hallway walls was smashed to bits. She had no honest idea how to repair them...All Loki ever had to do was wave his hand nonchalantly and thing she'd broken would repair themselves like nothing had ever even happened.

But no. The God of Mischief had evidently decided she was not worthy of his time, and was nowhere to be seen. He said he would return within the hour to check on her 'work,' but Riley hardly wanted him to return. All she'd do was earn another one of his typical sneering grins, and perhaps even a snarky remark to go with it.

Riley hadn't forgotten Loki's comeback that previous night, when he chased off the Asgardian man teasing her, but she still refused to forgive the god. Not after Phil...Some people would probably call her 'ridiculous' or 'cruel' for holding a grudge over it, but to Riley, death was a big deal. You couldn't just stab a close friend of someone and then expect them to warm up to you within a day or two...or even a year.

"Ouch!"

A thin line of red blood oozed out of her index finger. Whilst contemplating her thoughts, Riley had been subconsciously playing with one of the glass shards.

"Just bloody brilliant," Riley muttered, angry with both the glass piece and herself. What did people usually do with cuts when they didn't have any bandages or anything nearby? Didn't they just...suck on the cut? The idea didn't sound very compelling, but Riley raised her finger to her mouth regardless.

_"Ugh!" _Riley drew her hand back. The unpleasant taste of iron in the blood repulsed her. _Well, I guess I can forget that idea..._

Riley shook her hand several times, wincing. It was curious, how the largest, bloodiest wounds she'd ever received were mildly painful in comparison to a tiny little slice in her finger.

Raising her right hand, Riley tried to calm herself, breathing in deeply as she formed another ball of scarlet light in her hand. It swirled into a bowling-ball sized sphere, rotating ever-so-slightly. She closed her eyes tightly, concentrating hard. Initially, it seemed like an easy task when Loki showed her, and she'd brushed him off, but one would be surprised at how difficult it was to change an energy blast's color.

When she opened her eyes again, Riley found herself holding an icy-blue ball of light. Step one: Check. Step two: ?

Riley took aim at one of the targets again. _You can do this, _she told herself. _Think of how many __Chitauri__ warriors you took down with these blasts...Think of how you did it before, during the battle..._

_Just think...that target there is really just Tony Stark's head. And he's just called you "Spot" again._

The blue orb soared out of Riley's palm and drilled into the red-and-white target sign on the wall, blasting a giant hole in the middle of it. Finally! Her first target down!

"Yeah! HA!" Riley cheered, throwing up her arms in triumph. "Suck on _that_, Stark!"

"Uh...hey."

Riley cast a look over her shoulder at the sound of the voice. Kane Aberleson was standing behind her in the corridor, his eyebrows raised questioningly. It was only then that Riley realized what she was doing, and she dropped her arms limply to her sides in embarrassment.

"Er...hi there. Kane." Riley cleared her throat. "I didn't see you, um...How are you?"

"I'm all right." Kane adjusted the book bag hanging off of his shoulder, his aura still bemused. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know...shooting stuff."

"I can see that." Kane's hazel eyes moved upward along the many rows of shattered windows.

"I never said I was doing it well," Riley mumbled.

Kane merely laughed. "So, you're training right now, then?"

"Day and night." Riley nodded. "And would you believe the nerve of my mentor? The arse had me running laps around the palace gardens at around five or six this morning."

"Well, it _is _Loki," said Kane. "I just don't see why the Allfather didn't have you train under Thor."

"I know!" Riley rolled her eyes. "I personally think someone re-wired a few things in Odin's head before he made that decision."

Kane grinned. "Yeah, not sure what he was thinking at that time...Hey, did you hurt yourself?"

"What? Oh..." Riley raised her hand to eye level, and she glared at the small cut on her finger as though it had done her wrong. "Mm-hmm. Little mishap with some of the glass from the windows."

"Here..." Kane moved toward her, taking her hand in his. He began to murmur something in another language under his breath, waving his other hand over the break in her skin. Almost straight away, the cut began to gradually seal itself up until it was gone, leaving only dry blood behind. Riley blinked in disbelief.

"Wicked." She smiled up at him, giving her hand a little shake. No pain. "You're a healer?"

"Sort of." Kane shrugged, looking pleased with himself. "My dad knows a few things, so he taught me."

Riley examined her finger. "How come _you _aren't my teacher, then? Or your dad? I'm sure you'd have me learning much more useful things, rather than spinning flower pots and changing orb colors."

"Well, maybe when you have some free time, you can drop by and I'll show you a spell or two."

"I'd like that."

"By the way," said Kane, gazing absent mindedly up at the shattered windows, "have you heard of that ball coming up?"

"A ball?" Riley shook her head.

"Well...would you do me the honor of accompanying me there?" Kane asked, smiling nervously. "I mean, just as friends. For fun. If you want to."

Riley blinked. She couldn't honestly remember the last time anyone had _ever _asked her to anything...She wasn't very inclined to the idea of dances, mostly because she couldn't dance to save her life, but she was flattered that someone had actually asked her, even if it was just as friends.

"I...sure. Yeah, okay." Riley grinned again. "That sounds nice."

"Great!" Kane breathed a sigh, most likely of relief. "All right. We could meet—"

"Only one target," said an icy, silky voice into Riley's ear. She gave a start of surprise. "I can't say I'm overly shocked, Miss Harrow."

Riley tried to spin around to look at Loki, but he was pressed so closely behind her that she couldn't move back. Instead, she hastily took a step forward, away from his touch, so she could turn. He was wearing his usual royal Asgardian armor, now equipped with the horned helmet he'd first worn when they met.

"I believe I voiced before that I would like you to not distract my student," said Loki, his mouth a thin line as he looked at Kane. Kane cowered some.

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again, sir..."

"He was just talking to me," said Riley, jumping to Kane's defense. "I distracted myself."

Loki raised a brow at her. "Well, _that _I have no trouble believing."

Riley glowered up at the god, but Kane spoke before she had the chance to.

"No, it's fine. I was about to leave anyway." Kane moved to the right of them and brushed past them down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder as he went. "I'll see you soon, Riley!" he shouted.

Loki watched the man leave with disdain. There was something about the son of Aberle that Loki didn't like, something deep in the shell...Loki was no psychic or mind reader like Riley, but he knew enough from a person's actions and tone to tell what really lay beneath the surface. After all, he _was _in fact the God of Lies himself, was he not? He spoke lies so smoothly that he could tell when another person told one.

"Welcome back, Liesmith," said Riley. "Thanks for chasing away one of the only Asgardians that doesn't completely hate me."

Loki rolled his eyes, then made a "tsk" sound. "Look at all these broken windows. Tell me, Miss Harrow, did you completely disregard my instructions and aim for them, or are you honestly just that horrible at this?"

Riley glared at him in reluctant silence.

"You really_ are_ a hopeless case." Loki sighed, rolling up his robe sleeves as he crossed the room, waving his hands nonchalantly to repair all of the windows.

"I'm not h—" Riley began.

"Don't get defensive now," said Loki, returning back to her as the glass shards behind him flew back into their places, "when the truth so blatantly looks you in the face. If you would just admit that you are not as in control as you say you are, then this would go much more smoothly."

"I'm not going to swallow my pride, if that's what you're wanting," said Riley shortly.

Loki glided over to her, moving so that he stood directly behind her. Riley flinched; she didn't like it when he stood out of her line of vision, especially after he'd positioned that scepter at her throat before... "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Make a sphere and turn it blue," Loki ordered.

"I've already been doing—"

"Right now."

Grudgingly, Riley lifted her hands again, repeating the same process as before until she was holding a glowing cerulean orb in her hands. "Now what?"

Riley felt, with a slight shudder, Loki's icy hands move to take hers as he pointed them toward the target. In spite of herself, Riley felt the blood rushing up to her face. _Weird. _

"Now, look slightly above where you want to hit."

"Why? If I aim _above_ the mark, I'll just miss and break more windows—"

"If you cannot trust your teacher's methods, then you will _never _accomplish anything," said Loki in a voice sharp enough to cut a diamond. "As I said: Look above where you want to hit."

Riley's eyes ascended above the target. "Now what?"

"Keep your eyes locked on the spot, raise the sphere to the level of your chest, and let it go."

Riley did exactly as she was told, obedient for once, and to her surprise, the orb completely demolished the target, hitting the very middle of it. A scorching black hole sizzled where her energy blast made impact.

She could practically feel Loki smirking behind her, even if she couldn't see it. There was no way he could _not_ be smug in this situation, and Riley knew, as annoying as it was to admit it, that he was right.

"See how much simpler things can be when you're actually cooperating?"

Riley struggled for a good comeback, but honestly, what retort would be good enough to defend her at this point? Instead, she said the first thing that came to her mind:

"Your hands are cold."

Loki paused for a second, bemused. Then he removed his hands from hers. "Still the Queen of Purposeless Thoughts, I see."

"Like, _really _cold," said Riley, experimentally touching her own now-icy hands to her cheek. "Most of the Asgardians I've come in contact have been...well, 'normal.' It's like you stick your hands in an ice machine for an hour every day."

"Well, what did you _expect_, mongrel?" said Loki, his once-somewhat gentle tone dissolving. He swept around her so that she could see his face, towering over hers. "Don't act as though it comes as a surprise to yo—"

Loki broke off suddenly. His flashing green eyes moved to look into Riley's, which were utterly bemused now.

Oh..._oh. _So that was it, then. The girl _honestly_ didn't know. To her, all she knew was that Loki was Thor's brother, an Asgardian...had she not been listening to a single thing anyone was saying? How ill-informed she was, how oblivious indeed! He thought that after her father's crime, surely she would know...But if she really had no idea what he was, then there was no way she could have known what her father did, either...

This would be interesting.

Loki breathed in smoothly, calming his flaming expression. "I suppose you could just call me naturally cold-blooded."

"I have no trouble believing that," said Riley, but one eyebrow had raised curiously. What was he _talking _about? _"...what did you expect..."_ What had he meant? Was it common knowledge or something on Asgard, that Loki's skin was cold? It didn't seem likely.

Loki smirked. "I don't doubt it...And look at what a complete hot mess you are," he continued, brushing a stray hair from Riley's face. His fingers deliberately grazed her skin lightly, and Riley felt goosebumps erupt where they made contact. "Well...a mess, anyway."

"Stop it!" Riley drew back away from him. "That's not funny."

"I fail to see what I may be doing that is amusing, Harrow," said Loki, still smirking. "You are indeed quite the wreck...Have you not ever heard of a little something called a hairbrush?"

"Shut up," Riley snapped, smacking Loki's hand away before it could get within even inches of her face. "I already warned you once before, and I'll say it again, since it seemed the first time it didn't get through your stupid thick-head: Don't. Touch. Moi."

"You really are _very _terrifying," said Loki sarcastically, raising his hands mockingly in defense. "I'm not quite sure what it is. The kitten neckwear, perhaps?"

Riley's lip curled as she tucked her necklace into her top, out of sight. Now that she thought of it, wearing a small, glittering "Hello Kitty" necklace probably wasn't the best idea, if she wanted to be taken seriously.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious," she said dryly. "Is this banter in any way, shape, or form _actually _somehow a method of helping me? Or are you just meaninglessly wasting our teaching time?"

"Certainly. It's helping you learn some patience, which you are _in-_cred_-ibly__," _he dragged out the word, "lacking in."

"You're an ass."

"So I've heard."

"Glad you've come to terms with it."

"At least I admit it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You are a childish, cantankerous adolescent, yet you refuse to accept it."

"Because I am _not!"_

"Yes, because _that _was not childish at all."

This derisive exchange carried on all the way until the evening meal, where the Asgardians gathered at the long wooden table together, all chattering noisily, per usual.

Loki had to wonder if it was worth it, gaining her trust. The half-blood was such an irksome fly, just as she had been with the "Avengers." Her sharp tongue and pitiful comebacks actually quite annoyed him, and half of the time had had to resist the urge to snap her neck.

Riley resumed her seat beside Loki, greeting Thor warmly from across the table. She struck up a conversation with Sif, who sat opposite her, until the meals arrived, consisting of a variety of meats like pheasant, assorted bowls of fruit, and potatoes. Riley ate hungrily, having worked up a tremendous appetite after endless hours of practice.

Loki watched the half-blood out of the corner of his eye as he drank from his goblet.

"You eat like a Bilchsteim," he commented.

Riley shot him a dirty look. She had no idea what a "Bilchsteim" was, but she knew it could not be anything polite.

"Why thank you," she returned, dabbing her mouth on her napkin. "You eat like an emaciated teenage girl."

"Loki!" said Thor, between large gulps of chicken. "Have you not the _slightest_ idea of how to treat a lady?"

"What lady do you speak of, Thor?" said Loki, making an obvious, sarcastic gaze around the table, looking right over Riley. "Lady Sif?"

"If I had a nickle for every time I heard that..." Riley muttered, fingering her steak knife.

"Ignore my brother's taunts," said Thor, downing his third goblet of wine. "They are petty."

"Like him," Riley agreed, casually continuing to eat whilst watching Loki out of the corner of her eye. "While his tongue is silver and cruel, yours is golden and kind, Thor."

"My thanks," Thor returned, grinning at her.

Loki rolled his eyes, which he found himself doing more and more these days. "Well, I'd rather have a silver tongue than a _bronze _one, Miss Harrow."

The napkin in Riley's hands ripped in half...and the sad part was, it wasn't made out of paper. It was cloth.

"One mishap after another," said Loki calmly. Without even looking at her or the napkin, Loki made a small motion with the palm of his hand and the napkin returned to its normal state. "Do you not ever think before you do anything?"

"Five, four, three..." Riley counted under her breath, wringing her hands together irritatedly. The most annoying part of the matter was, she knew she was at fault. In everything, really. If she couldn't learn to keep her cool under Loki's jeers, then she would never be able to handle anyone else. She would just lose it and end up hurting more and more innocent people...

"Loki," said a stern voice.

The Allfather's one eye was on his second-born son, and although it appeared seemingly gentle, Riley sensed an underlying threat lingering there. Odin and Loki made eye contact for a moment. Loki grudgingly grew silent.

Loki remained as unaffected and expressionless as before, but on the inside, his mind burned with resentment. He hated the power his 'father' held over his head, how he was constantly under his radar. One wrong move, and he would certainly be thrust into the dungeons, even slain...It was like a game he played, between Riley and Odin. Anytime he made a wrong move with his pawn, the Allfather's own would triumph, and the more Riley's pawn screwed up, the better advantage Loki had...

From the opposite end of the table, Riley caught Kane's eye. He was sitting beside his father, speaking with him every now and then while he ate. When he noticed Riley's gaze, he smiled amiably and waved to her, and Aberle did the same.

All around them, however, Riley was met with cold, sneering looks...Beyond Thor and his group of friends, Odin, and Kane and his father, none of the other Asgardians seemed too pleased with Riley's appearance, to say the least. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether their loathing glares were meant for her or Loki, since they were almost always together.

It was the one thing she and the god shared in common: The outcast feel among the crowd. Of course, Riley assumed most of the hatred for Loki was due to his previous actions on "Midgard," whereas they disliked Riley for her bloodline and family history.

She even spotted the man from the other night, the one who'd called her a "bitch." He was sitting noticeably the farthest away from them, no doubt due to his fear of the Mischief God. Riley had a feeling he was not the only one who felt the way he did; he was just the first person to actually voice what he thought of her. Really, most of the Asgardians would probably prefer her dead...

Loki got to his feet. "I expect to see you tomorrow, for our morning practice," he said to Riley, who groaned. "Don't be late."

Riley glared after him as he walked away, as usual, but she couldn't help but let a conflicted side of her slip in. She had to admit it; Loki was an arrogant, cocky jerk, but he was one of the few people here who actually understood her. He was rude, cruel, and a lying killer—

But he was growing on her.

…

_Thank you for all of your follows, favorites, and reviews (Especially those, it's quite entertaining hearing your thoughts)! _

_Stargazer1364: Oh ahaha, okay! xD I wasn't sure. You never know, this may or may not be the last time you'll see him around, but you can probably tell that Kane will be showing up more ;)_

_EnyaandEathenyl: Thank you! I really do love writing it, it just takes me an eternity to get chapters posted. Really glad you like it! :)_

_Viktorskrumpet: Thanks! I think that despite his exasperation with her, on a subconscious level, he doesn't like any guys that hang around her/are nicer to her than he is, since his rude and malicious approach obviously fails. And thank you, I'm really glad I haven't made Loki too OOC yet, that's what I'm really afraid of!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Once again, thank you for all of your continued support! It is much appreciated :) Also, incredibly sorry this chapter took an eternity for me to finally post! I've had a lot of work to do recently._

_..._

Riley crouched down in the muddy bank with her dirty hands wrapped around her ankle, wincing in pain. She could just about hear the sizzle of her own skin, raw and red.

"And that," said Loki, ghosting along the side of the creek, "is how you deflect an oncoming blow."

"Good...to know," said Riley between gasps for air.

She had to admit, after six hours of constant training, she was thoroughly exhausted. That morning she'd gone for her daily run around the palace gardens, with Loki, per usual, mocking her as she did so. Then, after a hasty breakfast, she and Loki had practiced hitting more targets, before finally moving to the edge of the forest, where they began to actually duel somewhat. Her current objective was to learn how to shield herself from any potential attacks.

"Can't...we take...a break?" Riley managed, as she tried and failed to clear her shirt of mud.

Loki fixed her in his gaze, his smile derisive. "Don't tell me the High-and-Mighty Harrow has grown weary?"

"Yes, she has," Riley muttered back. At this point, she would gain nothing from being stubborn and taking it "like a man." It would only lead to her undoubtedly passing out and making an even bigger fool of herself.

Loki blinked. Evidently he really _had _worn the girl out...How feeble. In his own training as a child, Loki was forced to take on much more difficult, longer challenges than this, but he never put up a fight, never had a go at any teacher. He just bit his tongue and forced himself harder and harder, all the way to his breaking point.

But then, there was always the loathing, the deep hatred for his mentors, the ones that praised "beloved" Thor every chance they got, yet never once made an attempt to convey their approval of Loki...Thor _always _complained, moaned, and bickered about every hardship, whilst Loki kept his mouth shut and did as he was told, till he would eventually black out from exhaustion.

Who was _he_ to be a hypocrite? To be in any position to do the same exact things to his own student?

"Well, at least you've _somewhat_ cooled that hot head of yours," said Loki evenly. He crossed the mud-caked ground, earning a faint squelching sound each time his boots made contact with the ground. "You may want to do something about that ankle."

Riley stared blankly up at him, her chest heaving up and down, each time slightly less painful than the last. Words slipped from her grasp. She'd expected him to argue, to demand that she return to her feet at once, or even maybe physically force her to move; not to actually listen to her plea.

"Oh. Yeah...Wait, I mean no," said Riley, examining her semi-sizzling ankle. "No, it's not that bad. I can deal." The unmistakable pain in her face betrayed her.

Loki breathed an exasperated sigh. "Yet the pigheadedness remains. Why don't we at least have it be put in an ankle splint or something of the sort?"

Riley opened her mouth, then closed it again. Loki was offering her the chance to take an actual break from her grueling training. What position was she in to pass up at that opportunity?

"Okay, one second." Riley undid the laces on her boots hurriedly, and then submerged herself in the creek water, allowing the cool water to rush over her scrapes, to ease her pain to some extent.

"I hope you know that that's not the same as a bath," Loki called down to her.

"Har har!" Riley hollered as she examined a small bruise on her upper arm.

"Are you quite sure you're a woman?" Loki mocked.

"Yeah, pretty sure I'd know that!" Riley snarled back.

After another minute or two, she hoisted herself out of the creek and shook the water from her hair like a dog..._Fitting. _

Together, they trudged back up the steep incline, back across the grounds, and through a side door into the palace. They made their way up several flights of staircases, and Riley grit her teeth as she dragged her leg. Loki could have very well just fashioned some sort of splint or bandage for her on one of the lower floors, but no, he insisted on going up to the Healing Room.

When they finally reached the double doors, Riley just about collapsed in a heap. She steadied herself stubbornly, forcing her expression to remain neutral. She refused to give Loki any more satisfaction than she already had.

A tall, blonde Asgardian woman stood near the doorway when they entered, holding what appeared to be a clipboard with parchment and a feather quill. She looked up when they entered with a bright smile, but when she saw who it was, her gorgeous face fell.

"Ah, hello," she said, looking between the two. Riley could tell (Not just by her aura, but because it was pretty obvious) that she was making an effort to remain pleasant, but her face kept wrinkling as though she smelled something rather nasty. "How may I be of assistance, Prince Loki?"

Loki seemed to stand both taller and shorter at the same time at the word "Prince."

"Yes," he said, returning her half-hearted demeanor. "My clumsy student here was too slow at defending herself and hurt her ankle."

"I'm not—" Riley cut in. Loki raised one hand to silence her, and she grudgingly bit her lip.

"Oh...well..." The blonde woman's eyes looked Riley up and down, and her nose wrinkled again. Riley wondered whether she was aware that she kept doing that. "I'll see if any of our Healers are not busy. Why don't you have a seat over there, sir?" she gestured to a row of benches positioned under the window. "Wait here, Miss...Harrow," she added.

Loki swept across the room toward the benches with his cape billowing behind him, murmuring something about "...waste of time..."

Riley remained rooted on the spot as she was told, frowning down at her ankle. Once again, both Loki _and _The Allfather were right about something: She wasn't at all prepared for war. If a simple energy blast to her lower leg caused this much damage, then how would she be able to handle the real battlefield? Would she just curl up in fetal position if someone hit her too hard? Would she just sit down and moan and groan about how much pain she was in?

And even if she did put on a brave face, that didn't mean she would be able to fight at her hardest whilst hurting. She would have to learn to just deal with it...

"Miss Harrow?"

The blonde woman had returned. "Healer Aberleson can see to you now."

"Aberleson? Kane?" said Riley, mildly surprised for no reason she could think of. He had mentioned before that he was a Healer, didn't he?

Loki looked up from his fixation with a speck of dirt on the ground. He could not pinpoint what it was about the Asgardian boy that he did not like...He'd seen him before around the palace, but only recently a spark of dislike had ignited in him, for whatever reason. His sharp green eyes tracked his student as she crossed the room to sit at one of the many long, white tables lining the room.

"Oh, hello, Miss Harrow," said Kane, glancing over at Riley as she approached. "Get yourself into trouble again?"

"You could say that," said Riley, shooting a glare in Loki's direction.

"Was it the Snake?"

"What gave it away?"

Kane laughed, then uncorked a bottle of some purplish liquid. "For the pain," he said, measuring out a teaspoon and handing it to her. Riley winced at the sour taste, reminding her of a shriveled, tiny grape.

"Sorry, it's not exactly juice," said Kane, smiling in a sheepish sort of way. "Lanya said it was your ankle, right?"

"Yup," Riley confirmed.

"All right, bring it up on the table, then."

Riley lifted her leg, awkwardly as it was hard to bend it, and placed it onto the table, aware of the mud caked onto her skin and the smell of creek water.

Kane drew back her pant leg, rolling it up so he could get a good look at the wound. Riley shivered slightly, for no apparent reason, at the touch of his warm hand. She wasn't exactly used to contact with many men, mainly because the majority of them turned away from her right away, and it didn't help that Kane's face, she only then realized in the bright lighting from the torches, was quite ruggedly handsome.

Loki's dark eyes narrowed. _Why? _The word rung through Loki's mind a thousand times over and over again, but an answer never met him. Why was it that his stir of disdain for the son of Aberle had intensified in a single moment? Surely Kane had done nothing to warrant the God of Mischief's hatred...He watched the boy carelessly run a hand slowly along Riley's ankle, tracing it with two long fingers as he mumbled a spell. Loki's blood began to boil.

But _why?_

Riley had every intention of remaining cool and blasé through the inspection, but the second Kane's thin fingers ran along her leg, she could not help but darken red in the face. _Stop freaking out over nothing, _she told herself firmly, biting her lip. _Don't lose your head. _It was like with Thor, when he had brushed his lips against her knuckles, only strangely different...somehow.

_Going through life without ever being kissed or even so much as being called "Beautiful" will do that to you, I suppose, _Riley thought. _You go mad over stupid little things._

"There, how's that?" Kane's voice broke into her thoughts. Riley blinked twice, coming out of her daze, and peered down at her ankle. It was not healed up the same way it had been before, when he sealed her finger cut, but it certainly looked better than before. The sizzling, irritated red skin had calmed, and the whole thing had been bandaged up in a tight white cloth.

"Oh—brilliant." Riley gave it an experimental shake. It didn't hurt nearly as much. "Thank you, Kane."

"Of course." Kane grinned, and his already-bright hazel eyes lit.

Riley swung her leg off of the table, and she steadied herself on her feet.

"Try not to get yourself hurt again, all right? Unless you're just trying to see me again." Kane winked.

Riley cursed herself as she felt her face grow hot. "I'll...I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you quite done?" said Loki in a raised voice. He'd gotten to his feet now.

"Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming...See you at the ball, then," Riley added to Kane.

"I look forward to it."

Riley half-limped, with the bandages over her ankle, toward the door, past the blonde woman, who did not try to hide her annoyance with them this time. She watched the pair leave, her expression nothing short of disgusted.

Ah, the life of two outcasts.

Loki shouldered his way out of the doorway, with Riley on his heels. She waved to Kane as she followed suit, half-smiling.

The moment the double doors swung closed, Loki shot her a sideways glance, his mouth turned upward in a smirk. But it wasn't his usual, _almost _playful smirk. Riley detected a darker, more cruel aura beneath the surface.

"What?" she asked.

"I cannot even _begin_ to imagine why he's pursuing you," said Loki. "Not for your physical features, that much is certain. The Asgardian women here can fulfill that much twice as well."

Riley's jaw dropped a fraction in shock. She'd expected him to mock her more on her supposedly "self-inflicted injury," or to perhaps just say nothing at all. But his words had caught her completely off guard, causing her to stagger a little.

She drew back her hand sharply to slap him, then thought better of it. No point in hitting the teacher and getting detention. Besides, she'd already dealt with assholes like him before in high school...Although granted his words stung her heart more than they would coming from a teenage boy.

Instead, she merely smiled pleasantly up at him. "I'm not quite sure who you mean." She was quite sure who he meant.

"The Healer," said Loki, still smirking coldly at her. "The son of Aberle."

Riley continued her own clearly-faked, amiable smile. "I disagree. Kane doesn't fancy me."

"Oh, certainly not," said Loki. "I highly doubt any sensible Asgardian could stand that dim-witted yet sharp tongue of yours."

"Glad we could come to an agreement on that, then," Riley snapped.

A short pause commenced.

"Is it really _that_ far-fetched that any man could ever like a person such as myself?" Riley knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn't help it. Despite her seemingly-hard outer shell, on the inside, the insecure little girl that resides in every woman had begun to question herself. She'd had "crushes" before, but she could not recall one man who returned the feelings. But up until now, she mainly tried to avoid the idea of "love" like a plague.

Loki turned completely so that he was completely facing her, towering over her in height. "Oh yes. I mean, what is there to like, my dear?" His icy grin had curved downward into a frown as he hissed. "Not the inside nor the outside are in any way desirable. You are a child, a child trapped within an adult body, stubborn and ignorant! How could _any _man choose you over the many beautiful maidens of Asgard? They would have to be both blind _and_ deaf."

Loki wasn't sure what was driving him to say it. The words flowed out of his mouth, quickly, before he could stop them. His real contempt, he knew, was not directed to her, but to Kane. So why was he turning it on his student, then? Why was it that his anger seemed directed to them as a pair, that he could not help but gain satisfaction from bashing the girl and ruining any hope she had with the other Asgardian?

Riley couldn't believe it. She froze, petrified in place, her eyes wide. Then they began to swim with the beginnings of tears. This wasn't just an immature teenage boy in high school calling her "ugly" or something in the hallway...he had targeted her personally, had stabbed her directly in the core of her heart, had completely ripped her into tiny shreds.

Wasn't she stronger than this? How could words, simply words, sting her so badly?

"Well. Thank y-you for letting me know." Riley hated herself for letting her voice shake.

"Harrow—" Loki began, green eyes widening, subconsciously reaching one arm outward.

Riley turned sharply on her heel, then took off down the winding stairway as fast as her feet would carry her.

"Riley—"

Riley didn't look back at the sound of his voice. She bolted down the long hallway back toward her room, wiping her eyes messily on her sleeve as she went. She knew she should have casually walked away from him, calm and unaffected, but she would have broken down in front of him, which would be much worse. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible, to cry without anyone there to taunt her weaknesses, how easily she cracked...

She swung herself up the stairs to her bedroom, thrust the door open, and threw herself down upon her bed, sobbing openly into her arms. She hated Loki. She hated herself. Whether Loki was just testing her or being quite serious, it did not matter. The look in his narrowed green eyes as he snarled at her...it had hurt. Horribly.

Riley buried her face in her hands. She felt pathetic, just as Loki viewed her. She should have known to just harden her heart around him, to not forget that he was in fact known for his cruel tongue...

Loki watched her go, one hand somewhat outstretched toward nothing but empty air. He clenched one fist slightly, contemplated doing a move Thor did often by throwing the nearest object, then thought better of it.

What had made him do it?

This wasn't how it was supposed to play out. He was the God of Mischief! He was supposed to gain nothing but sheer delight from things like this!

He remembered Agent Romanoff, the satisfaction he'd earned from the flash of fear in her eyes, the hurt expression that overwhelmed her visage. That was how this was supposed to be, wasn't it? Picking people apart was part of what he did. Getting under their skin, voicing their flaws...

What made this any different?

And it was then that Loki realized what he was feeling currently, something he'd not felt for quite a long time: _Regret._

Damn her.

...

_Thanks again, everyone! I really hope I didn't make Loki too OOC in this chapter, because I think someone's a bit jealous of Kane ;) _

_Also, sorry if this chapter was short...it seemed short to me. _

_Viktorskrumpet: Haha, yeah, Loki really is an ass xD And I agree; Riley could do some damage to him if she so chose. Granted it may not hurt him much, but she has a decent amount of restraint. Thanks!_

_Marianne: Thank you! I can't believe you read the whole thing at once, that means a lot to me! (: Aw, you flatter me. It's so hard to keep their relationship the way I want it. Thanks so much!_

_Stargazer1364: Yeah, he's a strange character haha :) Oh, but the God of Mischief is very sneaky. You'd think that being psychic and all, Riley would sense him coming haha. And yes, Loki's done a good job of proving Riley wrong again and again!_

_Viv: Most of my readers seem to like their spats, and I appreciate it! :D I think they have a very love-hate relationship, currently leaning more so toward hate. And thank you! I was originally going to just do the bit with the Avengers, but I thought Asgard would be both more interesting, and keep their relationship more gradual._


	13. Chapter 13

_You guys are amazing! I love your reviews :')_

...

Riley made a complete turn twice in front of the tall mirror, looking herself up and down more than she normally would. She couldn't help it; after the previous day's fiasco, she was feeling more trampled into the dirt than ever before.

_That damn bloody git, _she thought as she turned around for the third time. She hadn't seen Loki since their last argument, and she didn't intend to, at least not for a while. She knew in the back of her mind that she should be continuing her practice, but she couldn't stand the thought of being around him again.

_Was _she really that unappealing? She knew that every girl went through the typical questions of "Am I ugly?" "Do I look fat?" and "Do you think I'm pretty?", but most women were met with a positive answer. Riley, on the other hand, hadn't known the same kindness.

Riley never thought of herself as just simply "ugly." She knew she wasn't a supermodel by any means, and she wasn't skinny like all of the thin-waisted Asgardian women, but she also thought of herself as at least average...But Loki had spit the words out so sincerely that every bit of security Riley had left crumbled at her feet.

And was her personality the same? She knew her temper wasn't exactly a turn-on of any kind, and that she could indeed be quite childish sometimes, but she wasn't typically rude...only to people who _deserved _it. Really, she did her best to show nothing but respect for those who earned it, and she didn't generally judge books by their covers...

Riley spun around again, fiddling with her hair. She'd borrowed one of Lady Sif's dresses earlier that morning, for the dance that night. It wasn't anything fancy, and didn't live up to usual Asgardian women standards, but it was nice enough. It was strapless and quite long, modestly reaching her ankles, and it mimicked a cream color, with a ruched bodice.

She'd tied up her mousy brown hair into a messy bun, leaving a few strands loose. She had to admit, it did look better than her usual messy, untamed wavy hair, which was almost always tossed unflatteringly by the wind.

Her white shoes matched her dress, and she continually thanked God that Lady Sif shared the same shoe size as her...If they hadn't fit, then she would have either had to ask one of the other stuck-up Asgardian women, or wear her torn sneakers, which had seen better days. It probably wasn't smart to be wearing heels, since he ankle was still recovering, but she'd rather be in mild pain than show up barefoot and be further humiliated.

Riley had twice considered whether or not she wanted to still show her face at the ball...Sure, maybe on a subconscious level, she thought Kane was at least a little interested in her...Why ask her to the dance if he didn't? _But we're going as friends, _she reminded herself firmly. _He said it himself. _

_..._

Loki stood loitering near the open balcony, gazing blankly out at the broken Rainbow Bridge. He wrung his hands absently together, unintentionally turning them into the icy blue that was his Frost Giant form.

He hated her. He hated his own lack of usual amusement from her stunned expression, he hated the burning, clawing remorse that she stirred in him...

And he hated himself. How..._how _could he have let himself slip like that? Generally, if he wanted to really get to someone, he would find a moment of weakness, wait until they gave him a reason to attack, and carefully deliver each word, thinking before he uttered them.

But no. This time, the words had escaped him without control; he had not given them a single thought, and he hadn't planned the cruel remarks in any way. What, he genuinely wondered, could have brought upon such an impromptu assault against her character?

He rubbed his temple with his right hand. The sky above was just beginning to darken into dusk, a purplish-blue hue. In about an hour, the ridiculous "ball," would commence, planned by the Allfather as a means of lifting Asgard's spirits, before the oncoming war...

He snorted in derision. Any chance Odin got to prepare a festivity of some sort, he took. Loki had been to a few of them himself before (Mainly because, as the Prince, he was expected to show up), but he was never fond of them. They were an idiotic thing, mainly created as an excuse to drink frivolously and run off with one's object of desire after merely two dances, only to awake in the morning full of regret.

Loki generally spent them lingering annoyedly in the shadowy corners of the reception, only occasionally taking a sip of drink here and there, before finally being allowed to return to his room.

Now, however, there was a new issue: Riley Harrow. The last time he saw her, she was taking off in the other direction down the stairs, burrowing her face into her arm and undoubtedly sobbing. Had this been under different circumstances, or perhaps if it had been someone else who inflicted the pain, he would have simply approached her with his usual remark, "Pathetic." But this was the first time she had actually broken down.

He had been surprised, actually, that she made it this far; he had indeed bruised her emotionally with a fair share of jeers and ridicule, but each time she simply let them bounce off of her, with maybe a look of mild hurt or indignation. That much he could handle. He had relished in her frightened looks before, when he had fought her back on Midgard...But this was different. That was just a bit of fun, testing her mettle and pushing her too far.

Now he'd actually shoved her off of the edge.

Yet now that he really _had _pushed the girl too far, he was not met with the usual pleasure of messing with her head, but rather with simply guilt.

The Allfather would be expecting him and his "brother" to show up for the dance, he knew that much for certain. However, Riley would also be present there, accompanied by the son of Aberle...His mind began to burn somewhat again at the thought of him, but he was still yet to piece together why. _Why, why why. _The word had slipped in and out of his head far too many times for his taste.

Then again, he could not avoid the issue forever. Odin had given him a job to do, and he would not drop it just because he didn't want to face his pupil.

...

Riley descended the mini staircase into the ballroom, playing absently with a strand of her hair. She was all to aware of the magnificently crafted dresses and dress robes, of the brilliant hairstyles that surely must have taken hours of time to obtain. They all glowed in a radiant, natural light, making Riley feel much like a candle in the presence of fireworks.

She hesitated on the last step of the stairs, to survey the room in search of Kane. They hadn't established an exact time or meeting place, so she didn't have much to work with as far as finding him. Her eyes scanned the crowd of Asgardians about four times, until they fell on one person in particular: A dark-haired man equipped in black and bottle-green dress robes.

Loki.

Riley hastily made a move to her left, staggering slightly in her high heels. Cowardly or not, she refused to be anywhere in his presence, not tonight. She wasn't sure of exactly how he'd react...Most likely, he'd just make some remark on how plain her dress was, or how idiotic she'd acted when she ran away the day before.

Loki was not looking in her direction, but he was weaving his way through the crowd, which parted for him, more likely out of fear, than respect. Riley lowered herself so that she was crouched down, then awkwardly moved away from him quickly, as fast as one can go without full use of their legs. Just as she snuck a glance back to see where he was, she ran into something.

Correction: Someone. Kane.

"Oh. Oh...hi." For a split-second, Riley wondered why Kane was so much taller than her, till she realized she was still kneeling down. She straightened herself back up, flustered. "Um, I was just...you know..."

"Inventing a new dance move of some sort?" said Kane, raising an eyebrow at her amusedly. He was dressed in burgundy robes, and he'd smoothed his hair down for the occasion. He smiled at her, his hazel eyes brightening. He exhaled. "Wow. You look really lovely."

"I...really?" Riley asked, both surprised and flattered, flattening her dress out of habit.

"Yes, really." Kane frowned. "Is that not obvious?"

"N...yes. I mean no." More mindless blabber. Riley Harrow, Queen of Suave. "I don't know."

Kane's smile returned, and he extended a hand toward her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, trust me; you are more ravishing than all the colors of the Rainbow Bridge."

Riley's skin erupted into goose bumps as his hand brushed her flushing cheek before returning to his side. It was strange, how one gesture of a man could send a woman spiraling in and out of consciousness. "I...thank you, Kane. Really."

Loki had finally reached the corner of the ball room, away from the long tables of drinks and all the mind-numbing chatter. He stood silently in place, his green eyes flickering between the people standing around. He leaned against the wall behind him, feeling rather hot in all of the foolish dress robes, even with his naturally-cold skin temperature.

He was not aware that he had seen Riley Harrow until his eyes passed over her three times. He only recognized her when she had turned to a degree to the left, revealing the rest of her face. Her mousy, plain brown hair had been slicked up into a messy knot of sorts, leaving a couple of loose locks hanging in her face. She wore a long, cream-white strapless dress, so long that reached her ankles, but leaving the fairly pale skin of her shoulders exposed.

And despite his rampant, cruel attack on her the previous day...today she actually looked_ at least_ decent. It was the first time she'd tied her hair back, and all he'd seen her wear were outfits that covered the vast majority of her body, like shirts and jeans. But now, he could actually see her upper arms, her feet, in the open-toed high heels, and the skin below her neck...

An incredibly strange, shiver-like movement rippled up his body. It was almost like he'd been dumped with a cold bucket of water, but not...Odd. He did not usually feel cold in any way, seeing as he was a Frost Giant. But it was different someway...like an involuntary shudder, yet not unpleasant.

Curious.

Then, as he lifted one hand to look at it, slightly troubled, he caught sight of the man she was speaking with, Kane. He was making some remark to Riley, and she was making the awkward, clumsy movements that she typically did around Kane or Thor...

The frown on Loki's face unknowingly (To him, anyway) deepened as Kane reached out one hand to brush a strand of hair from Riley's face, leaving the girl spluttering, no doubt incoherently. Dimwit.

He turned his gaze away from them. He had no reason that he could think of to hate Kane Aberleson. It was almost unfair of him to look upon the boy with such thick disdain, without a solid reason to back it up.

"Would you like to dance?" Kane asked, holding out his arm to Riley.

Riley laughed. "I'm sure you're joking, right?"

"Surely not. This _is _a dance, is it not?"

"Yeah, but—"

"And at a dance, you typically...dance." Kane grinned, still leaving his arm lingering in mid-air.

"That's not the point." Riley's eyes met her feet, and she shrugged. "I _can't _dance."

"Nonsense."

Riley shook her head. "No, really! I've tried it once before, and it...well, it wasn't a very 'good' experience, to say the least."

"Oh, just humor me and try it," Kane insisted. "I'll lead, if that helps any."

Riley sighed in defeat. "All right...but just one..."

Riley took his offered arm uncertainly, following him out into the crowd of Asgardians on the floor. Royal, ball-like music that one would expect in a palace had begun to play, and the other pairs around them had begun a slow, waltz-like dance about the room.

"Er..." Riley frowned at the people surrounding them, who all seemed to know what they were doing. "I really wasn't kidding before, you know. I seriously have no idea how to do this."

Kane shrugged. "Nothing to it. You just put your hands here..." He took her hands, raised them to his shoulders, and placed them around his neck. "And I put mine here..." He lowered his own hands to her waist, clasping them around it lightly.

Riley bit her lip. Is this what_ actual_ couples felt like? Kane said they were going "as friends," but she couldn't picture her ever slow-dancing with Natasha Romanoff. She laughed internally.

She couldn't be certain, but she had to admit it: Despite her cringe-worthy nature around flirtatious men, she quite liked this, slow dancing out on the floor.

That's when she stepped on Kane's foot.

"Sorry!"

"No, it's...okay," said Kane, but he was wincing.

"It's the high heels. They're deadly."

This continued through the duration of one other dance, until Riley was sure that Kane probably had red sores all over his feet. She apologized repeatedly time and time again, unable to control the flush of her face any longer, simply out of complete embarassement.

"You know, you can't say that I didn't warn you," said Riley as they crossed off the dance floor.

"That's true, I suppose," Kane agreed, rubbing the heel of his foot.

They had a drink at one of the tables, and Riley even managed to force down a little alcohol. The taste still didn't agree with her, so she mainly sipped at it when Kane was talking, to have something to do.

Riley checked the clock on the wall. It was already fairly late, and almost half of the couples had left by now. She could not see Loki any longer (Actually, she hadn't seen him since the beginning of the party), so he'd probably gone back to bed.

"I should probably go back to my room," said Riley, taking off her high heels to walk barefoot. Her ankle was killing her now that the medicine had worn off, and it probably didn't help that she'd worn heels and had been dancing. "But...thank you. I really did have a wonderful time, despite the whole...killing your feet thing."

Kane nodded in agreement. "Thanks for coming with me. Want me to walk you back to your room?"

"No, that's all right," said Riley, shrugging. "I think I can manage."

"It can actually be pretty dangerous to wander around at night here, especially if you're a half..." he trailed off.

"Half-blood. Right." Riley didn't particularly enjoy the whole "damsel in distress" sort of thing, but he had a good point. Maybe swallowing her feminine pride for one night wouldn't be so bad... "Okay. Thanks, Kane."

Kane walked her back down the dark hallway, illuminated only by the moon's white glow against the windows. Riley half-limped on her bad ankle, which had begun to hurt again, no doubt inflamed from the evening's events. The mead she'd drank didn't help either, giving her a little stagger in her already awkward-step.

Finally, they reached the double doors to her room and Loki's, and he followed her up to her door.

"I probably would have been okay on my own," said Riley sleepily as she crossed into her bedroom.

"I know, but..." Kane shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I suppose I didn't want the night to end."

"That's sweet," Riley slurred, leaning against the wall. Her head felt fuzzy.

"Would you care if I stayed?" said Kane, running a hand gently along her neckline.

"What?" said Riley dizzily.

"The night," Kane continued, stepping forward slightly to press a light kiss against her neck, shutting the door with one hand.

Oh.

Warning bells.

Riley shook her head, moving back away from him. "You're a nice guy, Kane. But I'm not that kind of girl."

Kane smiled. "I know. But you slipped up enough to let me get this far, _Harrow."_

Riley didn't even have enough time to react. Whether it was due to the alcohol, or because Kane just honestly moved that quickly, Riley found herself slammed roughly onto the bed in under a second, with her hands pinned up over her head on the pillow.

"Kane, what the hell—?"

"You let your guard down. You really _are_ an ignorant half-breed." Kane had climbed atop her, so close that she could feel his hot breath on her face.

Shit. _Shit, shit, shit! _Riley could hardly even wrap her mind around what was happening...It was as though he was an entirely different person than before, like a light switch had been clicked.

"Don't do this—" Riley struggled violently under his weight, and the pain in her ankle increased as she tried to knee him. "Kane, I told you, I'm not that type of person—"

So this is how it would go. Only a couple of hours ago, Riley had had her first experience with a guy even so much as dancing with her, and now, what? She would be...

Kane laughed, but it wasn't the same, lighthearted, fun laugh she'd heard before. This time it was cold, predator-like. "Wait, wait, wait. Did you think I wanted to have _sex _with you?"

Riley stared blankly back at him. She felt like the room was spinning.

Kane smirked icily. "Oh, that's rich." He reached one arm back behind him, and it returned with a jagged, freshly sharpened knife.

"Kane—" Riley's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the blade, and she shoved hard up against his chest. "What are you—?"

"Are you thick-headed?" Kane demanded. "I'm going to kill you, Riley Harrow."

It couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be—Kane, one of the only Asgardians to treat he kindly, was evil? This entire time, she'd had the wool pulled over her eyes? Was it _all _a trick?

"You never liked me," said Riley, in more of a statement than a question, thinking out loud. So all the things Loki said before...he was right after all.

"What, you _really _thought that I fancied you?" Kane scoffed, drawing the sharpened knife so close to her throat that Riley could hardly breathe. He snorted. "Get over yourself. You're not even pretty."

Riley squirmed beneath him, but it was no use. She felt just as helpless as she did anytime Loki had pinned her down, but this time, she sensed a more realistic, terrifying danger...For whatever reason, Loki always held back on killing her. But this was different. The only signs of hesitation Kane showed were of torture, to make her death more prolonged and painful...

"I guess I was pretty convincing, then, at least," said Kane, grinning. "Do you know how hard it is trying to pretend as though I actually liked being in the company of a mutt like you? And_ damn_, you're the worst dancer I've ever seen!" He drew back his right hand sharply and smacked it across Riley's cheek, earning a yelp from her. "That's for all those blisters you gave my feet, you little wench."

Riley shoved against his weight, trying hard to form the spheres of light in her palms, but with her hands pinned down above her head, she couldn't form them...She wasn't sure if it was because her mind was in too much of a panic to focus, or if it was just that she couldn't properly access her hands.

_Asgard_, she hated being a frickin' damsel in distress! Desperate, Riley opened her mouth in the beginning of a scream, but Kane dug the knife closer to her throat, cutting off the majority of her air.

"Don't even try it. I've already put a spell up in this room, so no one can hear you."

Riley's mind spun in a rapid circle. In a second attempt at escape, she focused her eyes on the bedside light on the writing desk behind Kane. The lamp rose steadily into the air, then flung itself at Kane.

Kane reacted like a viper. He promptly half-turned his body around and redirected the lamp away from him with a hastily muttered spell, shattering the lamp into a shower of porcelain.

"Elementary," he commented with another smirk. "Good timing on Odin's part, I'd say, scheduling that dance so early on in your training. I daresay you've hardly learned or improved upon_ anything, _based on the number of broken windows the palace now bears."

"But why?" said Riley in a strained sort of voice. She had to hold him off for as long as she could, but it was difficult to speak with the blade digging into her neck. "What did _I_ ever do to you?"

"It's more like the fact that you _exist_," hissed Kane. "You _and_ the Snake."

Riley gasped for a breath of air as she tried to pull back from the knife. "Loki?"

"Who else?" Kane spat. "Frost Giants, _disgusting _creatures...If your father had just done the job right the first time, I wouldn't have to deal with _both _of you now."

"Wait..." Riley successfully managed to grab another breath. "What?"

Kane's hazel eyes narrowed. Then he broke out into an ecstatic smile. "Oh...you don't know, do you?"

Riley wasn't sure what she did or did not know, but the blade had cut of her third gasp of air.

"Well, I'd hate to let you die without knowing what a Saint your father was," said Kane, leaning in close so she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was banished from Asgard?"

When Riley didn't answer him, he laughed again.

"He tried to murder Prince Loki, when he was not even three years old."

What air Riley had left inside her lungs was taken away. _"What?"_

"Yes, that's right," Kane whispered, his lips close to her ear. "I imagine Loki's a few years older than you. Before your father went to Midgard and had you, he made an attempt to kill Loki, because he shared the same views as me, knowing how foolish a mistake Odin had made. But he didn't do it right; there was a flaw in his plan, and he was caught."

Riley's vision was going in and out. No...he _had_ to be lying. There was no way that was true, no way that her own father—

"If only he'd done it right," said Kane wistfully. "It would have been_ so_ much easier to kill him as an infant...The filthy little Frost Giant."

"Frost Giant," Riley repeated, as Kane had moved the knife away from her throat some. "You keep saying that. What are you talking about?"

Kane's grin widened. "Oh, it gets better and better! You don't know anything!" Kane looked positively rapturous. "Have you lived under a _rock, _Riley? Loki's a Frost Giant! His real father, Laufey, abandoned him and left him to die, as he should have, but Odin went and took him in as his own. The Allfather should have never taken him..."

Riley's head was now spinning so quickly, she could hardly think. Loki was a _Frost Giant? _Another lie, it was definitely another lie...He didn't look a thing like a Frost Giant! He was an Asgardian, wasn't he?

_Wait a minute._

That day when they had been practicing shooting targets, when she'd mentioned how cold his skin was...how he'd barked, "Well what did you _expect, _mongrel?"

Now it all made sense...Kane was right! _I am an idiot!_ How Thor had mentioned once that Loki was "adopted"...she thought he'd been kidding! She didn't think he was actually being serious, she thought he was joking after Natasha said that he'd killed eighty people in two days...

"And the only thing I hate more than a Frost Giant is a dirty half-blood," said Kane, pressing the knife back up against Riley's throat.

"Does your father agree?" Riley choked out.

Kane's smile grew more. "But of course. Why do you think he and Axis were such good friends? A shame, really, my father always said, that Axis had to ruin himself like that. He did such a noble deed, trying to rid the universe of that monster, and then he went and created one himself."

The knife drew a thin, long, exaggerated line across her throat, and Riley could feel warm blood begin to form and trickle down her neckline. With the pressure of him on top of her and the blade on her neck, she could hardly even manage a groan of pain.

"No more playing games," said Kane, his hazel eyes horribly dark. "It's been fun, but I'd really rather see a lot more of that half-breed blood spilt."

Kane pulled the knife back and held it in his fist above her heart, bringing it down hard to her chest. Riley shut her eyes tightly. She supposed she'd taken it for granted, how Loki had the power to slit her throat, but never did. But now, here she was, helpless like some powerless, weak child, about to join Phil Coulson.

Riley hesitated. No knife plunged into her chest...That she was aware of, anyway. Did death really happen that quickly? It hadn't hurt…Was she already gone, without the pain?

Then she heard the sound of a struggle. And voices.

"God?" she asked dumbly.

Riley's eyes fluttered open. She was all too aware of the blood running down her neck, and she still felt unsteady and light-headed.

But Kane was not on her any longer.

Shocked, Riley stared with her mouth hanging open, as none other than Loki, still in his black and green dress robes, shoved Kane hard onto the ground, drawing a long, staff-like weapon around Kane's own throat. He grit his teeth, looking as though he were having difficulties keeping him pinned to the bedroom floor; Kane was evidently physically well-built enough to at least put up a fight against Loki.

Loki's emerald eyes flitted over to Riley.

_"A _god," he corrected her calmly.

And Riley fainted.

...

_Wow, I actually got this chapter up pretty quickly! I have been working on this one for a while, though, just in tid-bits..._

_Okay, so I know that I keep going on about this, and it's probably getting repetitive, but I'm voicing it once again: I'm sorry if Loki gets out of character at all, I hope I have not done it yet. I say this because this is the first time we see a less-subtle change in him. This was a really difficult chapter to do, since his character is so complex and typically "evil," but I'm doing my best._

_Stargazer1364: I had to actually laugh out loud at your comment, because the "ARUGUUGHUHH" reminded me of Odin's growl/shout that he did to Loki in "Thor." And yeah, I found myself wincing right alongside Riley while writing that bit. I'll be sure to pass on your message to her haha :)_

_Paulsgirl123: Thanks! I think we're all (Including me sometimes, quite honestly) constantly wondering what he's going to do next. ;)_

_EnyaandEathenyl: Thank you! :) I really appreciate it when people say that, since there's so many Avengers fics out there._

_KathleenAnneVincent: Thank you so much! I'm really sorry I keep asking about it; I've just read a fair share of OOC Loki stories, and it drives me mad, so I don't want to do the same thing to you lot. I'm really glad you like it so much! Also, yes, I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that. I think that being around the Asgardians so much has somewhat altered the way she normally talks._

_viktorskrumpet: Yeah, I think Loki needs to learn a few manners. Thank you! I'm glad I got you so engrossed into my story haha. And um...I'm pretty sure you know where Kane fits in now... :)_


	14. Chapter 14

_Thanks again to everyone, especially those who have stuck with me since the beginning!_

_..._

_"It's been fun, but I'd really rather see a lot more of that half-breed blood spilt."_

_Kane pulled the knife back and held it in his fist above her heart, bringing it down hard to her chest._

Riley awoke with a tremendously abrupt start, her breathing shallow as her chest heaved. Sweat dribbled uncomfortably down the back of her neck, and a wave of pain overwhelmed her, causing her to lie back again. She blinked several times, bemused. What had happened?

White walls. A hospital-like bed...She was back in the Healing Room, tangled up violently in the bed sheets, no doubt from a horrible night's sleep.

Kane. The knife. _Loki..._

Riley's hands scrambled upward to grope at her neck. Some sort of white bandaging had been wrapped tightly around it, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. It still ached horribly, but was nevertheless certainly an improvement from before.

So it hadn't been just some horrid dream.

"Are you _trying _to make yourself bleed again?"

Riley dropped her hands from her throat. She craned her neck to the left as far as it would allow, to see Loki standing a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest, expressionless. Never had she ever been so happy to see the evil little lying snake in her life.

"You...What?" Riley asked wearily.

"That wound's not completely healed," said Loki calmly, crossing the room slowly boot-by-boot until he was standing directly beside her. "Don't touch it."

"But...but..." Riley stared at him. "Loki...I don't understand. What happened?"

Loki blinked his emerald eyes once. "You don't remember?"

"No, I do, I remember..." In Riley's eyes, a flash of the dagger flickered in and out of her vision, and she winced. "I remember a knife. And you  
stopping Kane from..." She trailed off. "How did you know what was happening?"

"These palace walls are thinner than you think."

"What do you mean?"

Loki looked away from her. "I knew that if anything happened to you, I would be the one blamed. Your death ensures mine. To the unclouded, intelligent mind, it was quite obvious that Kane wore two faces. I was already in my chambers when I heard you two storming clumsily up the stairs like a pair of idiots."

Riley glared at him, but said nothing, silently urging him to go on.

"But everything became_ far_ too quiet. I could sense a powerful magic charm at work, a silencing one. You don't know that spell, so I knew it could only be Kane. I had a pretty strong feeling that his second face was about to be put to use, so I came up there to make sure. I'm rarely wrong."

Riley looked down into the palms of her hands, ashamed. What an incredible _moron_ she was! While she had cluelessly hung around Kane without her guard up, without a single suspicious thought in mind, Loki had been scrutinizing him, looking for signs of lying...Granted, he was better at that than her, being the "God of Lies," but she still should have been more wary of Kane.

_Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. _Huh. That phrase had never really applied to Riley until now.

"Thank you."

Loki quirked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"What do you_ think_ for?" Riley demanded, managing a small laugh. "You saved my life."

"I've saved many warriors in my time," said Loki shortly.

There was a moment's pause.

"This does not change anything, you realize."

'Change' anything?_ 'Change'?_ Riley shook her head. How could it _not? _The man who, not long ago, beat her to an absolute pulp, murdered her former close co-worker and tried to do the same to her, who did everything in his power to conquer Earth, had just saved her _life._

"Change what? How much you hate me?" Riley stared stubbornly into his eyes, challenging him. "If you hadn't stopped Kane, then I wouldn't even _be _here right now."

Loki swallowed. "You will learn here on Asgard that warriors fall every day. I cannot name how many times I have saved that brute-of-a-brother's ass in battle. This is a common occurence. The only difference is that it happened _inside _the palace." He paused. "And I do not hate you."

Riley snorted. "Yeah, I believe that."

"Yes, you are a rude creature and you try my patience, but I would not go as far as to say that I have any loathing toward you."

_At least not currently, _Loki thought, as he recalled his bitter mood after guilt had been aroused in his conscience recently.

"Even so, you stopped Kane, whether it was a regular "warrior" act or not. I appreciate it."

Loki sighed. "If you _really_ wish to thank me...then please accept that...that I was in the wrong." He drew in a sharp breath, as though uttering the words deeply pained him.

Riley raised her eyebrows at him. "Huh?"

"Before. I realize that I may have crossed a line, what I said to you..." Green eyes flickered over to brown.

"Wait a minute." Riley broke into a half-smile, as realization dawned on her. "Are you trying to..._apologize?"_

Loki grit his teeth. "I'd say we're even now."

Riley could hardly believe her own ears...She wondered whether her hearing was working properly. So Loki had verbally abused her, but then had saved her...so that made them "even" in his mind?

"So, how did I get here?"

Loki shrugged. "I called for a couple of guards to carry you here, then returned back to my work. You distracted me from some important documents I was sorting through."

"Well, _sorry,"_ said Riley sarcastically, as a redheaded Healer in the corner looked over at them, most likely listening in on the conversation. "What's happened to Kane?" she added uncertainly.

"He is under trial right now," said Loki. "The Allfather is contemplating his punishment, but I one can quite accurately assume that it is banishment for him and his father, including being stripped of his powers."

Riley breathed a low sigh of relief. She had to admit, in the back of her mind, she really wanted more of a painful, cruel punishment against Kane, but she was just glad that he would be gone. It seemed unjust, that a loathsome person such as he should be released without a worse penalty—

But then, Loki had done much worse, taking the lives of many humans at his hands, and he was not even banished.

Maybe that was just the way the universe worked. It was unfair, but not everything had a perfect, happy ending. Especially in most of Riley's cases...

"Do I have to speak at it? In my defense?" said Riley, biting her lip nervously. She didn't want to face Kane again. In fact, she never wanted to ever see his face ever again in her lifetime, if it could be avoided.

Loki shook his head. "I am not sure of what the Midgardian customs of trial are, but here, you do not have to 'speak' for yourself. The Allfather knows what he did. You forget that Heimdall sees all that occurs in the realms, including Asgard."

Riley fiddled with her hands, trying to not think about the pain beginning to get to her in her neck. Loki

"Also, there was something else that Kane had said," she murmured, without looking at Loki.

"And what would that be?"

Riley bit her bottom lip. "Kane said you were a...Frost Giant."

Loki said nothing.

So she knew. He supposed it would have had to have come out eventually, but he would have preferred that it did so on _his _terms...Damn Kane. Loki's lip curled slightly. Yet he had to admit, curiosity was eating away at him...What exactly would this half-blood think of him now, now that she knew? Typically, beyond Thor and his friends, the Allfather, and a few others, most of the Asgardians, like Kane, wished nothing more than Loki's death...

If only he'd been able to prove himself that day, when he'd been _so close _to destroying that realm of monsters...He'd have been welcomed back, like a hero. To destroy his own race, the Asgardians would say, meant he _had _to be loyal to only Asgard. No longer would they have looked upon him like a beast, like the scheming threat that he was...

Loki shoved away the thought. He knew better now, he reminded himself, that was the whole reason for taking over Midgard instead, wasn't it? Because he always knew, in the back of his mind, that nothing he could ever do would be enough. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did, the Asgardians would never truly accept him.

Like Riley.

"He also said that my father tried to...well, murder you when you were a child." It took all the strength Riley could muster to look back at Loki, who was staring out the window now, blank-faced. "Is it true?"

Loki nodded slowly, running a long finger along his thin lips. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You said you didn't want to know."

"That was before I knew it had to do with _you."_

Loki's eyes darted away from the window to sneak a glance at Riley's own. The sincerity, the honesty in her intense gaze made him look away again.

"Why are you lingering in the past?"

"I hope you don't think ill of me."

Loki continued to trace his lips with his index finger, but a flicker of surprise dashed across his facial features. "What?"

"Because of my father, what he did...Everyone seems to associate me with him. I mean, from what I've heard, disgraces pass down the family tree, so..."

Loki's bice eyes moved to scan her face expressionlessly. "Of course I think ill of you, you know that. But not because of your father, Miss Harrow. If we were all judged strictly by our heritage, then I would be dead. You are not Axis Harrow, nor have you ever been him."

Riley stared at Loki in blatant disbelief, her eyes stretched wide. Of all the things Loki had said to her before, through all the taunts and jeers, this was the first time he'd actually said something..._kind. _

"I, um, thank you," Riley mumbled in a low voice, her cheeks pleasantly flushed.

Loki made a face. "Stop thanking me." He wasn't used to the appreciation that Riley continued to throw at him. He mainly flourished under fear and anger spat at him from most people, so it made it difficult to know how to react to a change in response.

"So...You. Frost Giant." Riley was now looking at Loki directly.

Loki gave an abrupt nod, somewhat annoyed.

"But you look like an Asgardian. I thought they were...bigger. More, I dunno, icy?"

Loki rolled his eyes, sinking into an empty burgundy seat beside her bed. "This is not my Frost Giant form."

"It's not?" said Riley, interested. She leaned forward. "Can you change into it?"

"I can."

Riley had never actually seen a Frost Giant before, let alone knew much of anything about them...It excited her. Just like coming to Asgard, learning about the Asgardian's customs and appearance...If it were her choice, and if she were not afraid of being struck down on the spot, she would visit the other worlds as well. It was all so interesting, really.

"May I see it?"

Loki raised his eyebrows at her. Was she mocking him? He could see no trace of sarcasm or amusement in her expression. He could not imagine why _anyone _sensible would want to be in the presence of such a creature.

And yet, Riley's delighted eyes hid nothing.

"No," said Loki flatly.

Riley frowned in disappointment, but she had a feeling she knew why he didn't want to show her. Flaunting his true Frost Giant form didn't seem likely, especially if Kane was right, and there were others out there who shared in his views of the Frost Giants, of how they were disgusting and monsters...

"I am not an animal on display." Loki spoke the words so coldly that Riley involuntarily shuddered.

"I know you're not," said Riley quickly. "I just...I dunno. It seemed fascinating to me." She dropped her eyes back to her hands, folding them in her lap.

Loki shot her a sideways glance. A strange individual indeed, Riley Harrow...He could not recall one time that a person had _ever _been "fascinated" by his Frost Giant form and heritage.

"So then, who's your real father? Odin—"

"We will not have this conversation," said Loki flatly.

"But—"

"We're done."

Loki's bottle green eyes pierced Riley so sharply, she reluctantly closed her mouth.

Riley searched madly through her mind, trying hard to remember. Hadn't Kane mentioned Loki's father's name? Riley mentally replayed their conversation, but for the life of her (Perhaps due to being knocked out), she could not recall what the name was. All she could gather was that it started with an "L."

"We return to your training the minute you are released from here," said Loki casually, getting up from his seat as though nothing had happened. He cast an irritated look at one of the Healers, as though it was her fault that Riley was not already healed up enough to leave.

"Goody," said Riley.

Loki nodded curtly, then turned on his heel and stalked back toward the door, slipping out through it with his dark cloak swooping up behind him.

As he descended the steps of the Healing Room, Loki's mind raced about.

So _what_ if he saved her life? He'd been on the battlefield before, alongside Thor. He had saved countless others before, in the days when he, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three had fought together. This was no different. She was just another warrior.

Then _why _did he feel so strongly as though he were lying to himself?

Riley watched Loki leave, and her eyes remained on the door before the short, redheaded Healer snapped her out of her daze.

"Had a nice nap?" she asked, taking Riley by the wrist. At her touch, Riley automatically slapped her hand away, cringing slightly.

The Healer frowned at her, a little confused.

"Sorry," Riley apologized, dropping her arm limply back onto the bed. "I'm a little jumpy."

"I can imagine why," said the Healer, as she once again took Riley's wrist in her hands, this time more cautiously.

Riley eyed her warily. Having just been tricked and assaulted by a former Healer, she wasn't altogether comfortable with letting her guard down around any other ones. Or _anyone, _for that matter.

"You're tense. Stop fidgittin'," said the Healer, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear.

Riley sighed, trying to relax. She inhaled deeply, half-closing her eyes as she lay back.

"Now, what I don't understand is why he'd lie about a kind deed like that," said the Healer as she changed out Riley's bandages.

"Huh?" Riley mumbled sleepily.

"Loki," said the woman, as though it were obvious. "Two nights ago, he brought you up here himself, in his arms, carried you to one of the beds. In a big panic, he was." She folded a damp cloth over Riley's forehead. "With good reason, of course. You were bleedin' all over the tile floors...Jus' had them cleaned the other day, too..."

"Loki brought me here?" Riley demanded, sitting bolt upright, then groaning as a wave of pain overcame her.

"Lie still," she ordered. "And yes, he jus' about bit my head off, he did! Snarlin' at me like some kinda animal, sayin' I wasn't moving quickly enough." She rolled her eyes. "Pushy, pushy, pushy, he was. Tellin' me how to do my job!" She shook her head, making a tsking sound.

Riley frowned, sinking back against her pillow. Something didn't make sense here...Loki, cool-demeanored, uncaring, detached Loki, had carried her up to the Healing Room? And had done it in a _panic? _That didn't sound right. _The Healer must have her facts wrong.._

"I think you must be mistaken," said Riley quietly.

The Healer narrowed her eyes down at her. "No, I ain't! Saw him carry you in an' everything. I don't see the point in 'im lyin' about what happened, though. Hell, he hardly left this room! Had to order him out several times, I did! Told him you needed space, rest."

Now _that _only sounded worse. She had to be pulling Riley's leg...Loki? Having to be forced to leave the room? Loki never wanted to even be a few feet away from her! He complained about being in her presence all the time.

"I don't care if he's still Prince or not," the woman continued, measuring out a teaspoon of purplish liquid. _"No one _orders me around in my own Healin' Room! An' I don't give a damn how 'important' he is; all of my patients are to be left alone in my care only! Drink this," she added.

Riley winced as the familiar bitter taste burned her tongue, but she was glad for the medicine, as her neck continued to burn.

"What would you like to eat?" The Healer asked as she re-corked the bottle of pain medication.

"I'm not hungry."

"'Course you are. You've been out for a couple a' days."

"Um...whatever you have, then, I suppose," said Riley, blinking tiredly. Despite having slept for so long, Riley felt drained of the majority of her energy, and she wanted nothing more than to just collapse into a second deep sleep, hopefully this time unhaunted by the memory of Kane.

The redheaded Healer returned about six minutes later, carrying a tray of assorted foods in her arms. Riley took it from her with a brief thanks, then set to work eating it. It wasn't until she took her first bite of bread that she realized just how hungry she was, and she wolfed down the tray in a matter of minutes.

"How's the neck feelin'?" The Healer inquired, taking the empty tray away from Riley.

"All right."

The woman thought for a moment as she moved to check Riley's neck, pressing her stubby fingers up against it. "Hmm...I'd say you'd be okay to return to your training by tomorrow, if you continue to take these meds every hour. But I don't wan' you strainin' yourself," she added sternly. "Nothing too strenuous, all right?"

Riley nodded. She was relieved to be leaving so soon, after all the events from before, but she also wasn't exactly 'eager' to return to her training. Would it be the same old thing as before, day in, day out? Try, fail, argue with Loki, and try again?

Oh well. Whether she would admit it or not, when the bickering didn't go too far, Riley actually enjoyed them.

...

Loki leaned casually against the door to the trial room, his hands folded carelessly behind his back. To anyone passing, he appeared to be simply spending his time leisurely alone, lost in thought. However, the echoing boom of Odin's thunderous voice reached Loki's ears easily through the thin walls, and Loki intended to hear every word.

His theory was correct-Kane Aberleson would in fact be banished to Midgard, without his magic or healing properties, and his father would be taken with him. Loki gained a faint satisfaction from this, knowing the insignificant little twit would be gone, but he almost wished that a higher price had been paid for what he did.

Loki's eyes burned like flaming emerald as, in his mind, he re-watched himself open her door, see the brute pinning her helplessly against the bed, knife clenched tightly in his hand...He'd only arrived just in time. A blink of an eye later, he might not have had that conversation with her in the Healing Room...The image in his head boiled his blood so much, yet he still could not understand why.

_Why. _Loki had come to positively hate that word. It had been over-used so much in his mind to the point where he thought he might lose it. He wasn't used to not understanding things, and now just about everything pertaining to Riley struck questions in him.

He remembered forcing Kane to the ground, mustering everything in his power to refrain from slaying the man on the spot. He remembered lifting Riley's limp, bloody form off of the bed, knowing her wound was minor but panicking nevertheless at the blood. He remembered the distinct feel of the soft skin on her shoulders as he inadvertently grazed them with the knuckles of his hands, whilst placing her onto one of the hospital beds. But why should the mere touch of her skin bother him so much, yet not in an annoying way?

Strange. Perhaps it was the startling warmth of her skin in comparison to his own, icy and chilly. _Yes. _That was all that it was, what troubled him.

The Healer had been less than pleased with him. He knew he should have kept his composure, instead of hissing and spitting at the woman like some untamed creature. It deeply annoyed him _so much, _how much the growing alarm blinded him. He was the God of Mischief and Lies, not of Pity and Benevolence! He did not have anxiety over a person's well-being, he laughed and jeered at their weakness.

There was only one other time Loki could remember, currently, at least, when he'd shown any sign of real fear. The other time was when the Allfather had fallen into the Odinsleep, whilst Loki was accusing him of not telling him about what he truly was. He could distinctly remember the rising alarm in him, how loudly he shouted for the guards to come to his aide...

No. That was long ago, in a time when he had less of a sturdy wall around himself. But with all that had occured, with Thor, the wormhole, and everything on Midgard, Loki should have lost every speck of worry or concern for others left in him.

Yet somehow Riley had managed to find that speck.

...

_Currently staring at my laptop in bewilderment at all of the reviews for the last chapter. Thank you guys so, so much! Sorry this chapter was a bit short in comparison to the last._

_Draegan88: Haha, it's up now! I'll do my best to keep my updates as regular as possible. And thank you :) _

_Viv: Yeah, Kane's definitely a two-faced rat. Most of the Asgardians have a mild or more dislike toward Riley, but there are some that just absolutely can't stand half-bloods. And thanks_ so _much! :D I've been trying to pace the story to the best of my ability. Yup, Team Loki! _

_Stargazer1364: I had a good laugh reading your review. I'm really glad I was able to pull such a reaction from you, there's always a certain satisfaction I gain from surprising my readers :) And I totally agree, Loki's gone up a few points in my book haha!_

_viktorskrumpet: Oh, thank you so much! I'm honestly, really happy that you enjoyed it so much, and I can only apologize for not having Kane's ass whooped. I think the main reason I gave him a lesser punishment was because in so many stories, the character that's rude/mean to the OC usually ends up dead or severely injured, and I suppose I wanted to stray away from that some. Anyway, thanks! _

_EnyaandEathenyl: Haha, thanks! xD Really glad I was able to startle you that much!_

_ZabuzasGirl: Hope this was updated quickly enough (:_


	15. Chapter 15

_Yes, I know, I'm the worst Fanfiction author to ever exist. I'm so sorry for the horribly long delay, everyone! I've had a lot of work, projects, and tests to do lately, but that's no excuse to neglect you guys. If any of my followers are still out there, then thank you for sticking with this scatter-brained girl._

_..._

Riley was released from the hospital within another day or two, but her reflexes and movements were not as agile as they could be. She began training with Loki again the very minute the Healer had allowed her to step out the door, much to her irritation.

"Not even so much as a day's break, huh?" she asked, half-limping down the stairwell. Part of her was excited to get back into practicing, but another piece of her recalled all of her quarells with Loki, and therefore dreaded returning to work.

Loki said nothing, leading her silently down the hallway. The early afternoon sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows, dancing patterns of color across their faces. Riley followed Loki quietly around the corner, replaying the previous day's events in her mind over and over.

She desperately wanted to ask him about what the redheaded Healer had said...Could it have _really_ been true? She knew that, regardless of whether or not it was, Loki would deny it through his teeth. It was nearly impossible to tell what Loki was truly thinking in the back of his mind, let alone know whether he was being truthful or not.

"Today we are covering a topic you are most certainly lacking in," said Loki, breaking into her thoughts as he held the door open for her. Riley blinked, having not realized that they were standing in front of an open doorway.

"I thought I was lacking in _everything_," Riley countered, brushing past him to step into the room. The area looked as though it had been unoccupied for centuries, with dense cobwebs, thick layers of dust on the tables, and burned out candles.

"True," Loki agreed, shutting the door behind him, "but have I not emphasized again and again your inability to remain in control of—?"

"Ah, that," said Riley with a twinge of annoyance. She settled herself into one of the empty seats in the room, dusting it off with the side of her arm before sitting down. Now that her black agent suit from SHIELD had been cleaned, she was able to wear it again, to her delight. She swore, if she had to struggle into _one more _constricting corset and dress, she would have lost it.

Loki waved his right hand carelessly, and all of the torches lining the walls lit up in stereo, flooding the room with light.

"This time, however," he said, crossing the room to stand on the opposite side of her, "we will be testing your control over _outside _effects, opposed to your own inner issues."

Riley frowned a bit as she swatted a cobweb out of her face. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't believe I could have made that wording any easier to your elementary mind," Loki drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, per usual. And, as though drawing it from thin air, Loki reached behind his back and brought forth a long, golden staff, equipped with a blue-tinged tip.

Riley's eyes widened as she recognized it. _The scepter!_ She leapt to her feet, scrambling out of her chair in a panic. "Hell no!" she yelped. "How in Asgard did you even come to obtain that?"

"The Allfather is easily persuaded." Loki flashed her an icy grin. "Fret not, half-blood. Heimdall sticks his nose so deeply into my business, it's a wonder I cannot see it in front of me. And in any event, you should know by now that if I end your life, I am slitting my _own _throat."

Riley eyed the scepter as though it had done her wrong. "If you don't intend to harm me with that, then what's the point of it? You want _me _to try and operate it?"

"As entertaining as it would be to watch your sad attempts, no," said Loki coolly. "No, this is to test your mind. You have evaded it once before, mainly through the use of breaking something against your head, but this is a test _without _any props. Only your own full concentration can break it."

Riley allowed a few seconds to pass as she registered his words, then snorted loudly. "Right. What kind of moron do you take me for, Loki? You want me to willingly let you take control of my brain and play god in it?"

"I _am _a god," said Loki smoothly, crossing the room toward her as she backed up into the wall. "Do you ever clean those ignorant ears of yours, Miss Harrow? I've already told you that Heimdall is observing what we are doing. I cannot bring any harm onto you without guards rushing in to do the same to me."

"But—but you can't just—" Riley argued.

"Of course, it is not only my mind you will be under the influence of," said Loki, pacing a bit, his robes billowing behind him. "This scepter is connected to the Tesseract. You will not only be fighting me, but an incredible outside power."

Riley groaned. "Aw, wonderful. Just fantastic. I just _love _being forced out of my own head. You should really try it sometime, Loki-it's a lot of fun!"

"If an enemy on the battlefield has a weapon similar to this," Loki cut in, twirling the scepter in his hand, "and is able to take control of your mind, then all hell shall break loose. You must always be prepared to defend your thoughts, in the event that you lose your grasp."

Riley exhaled somewhat, realizing there was simply no way out of it. Quite honestly, she didn't know why she even bothered-Loki always had the upper hand in the end anyway.

"All right, let's get this over with," Riley sighed, cracking her knuckles and assuming her stance.

"Very good."

Without even so much as a single warning, Loki darted forward, vanishing as his image flickered away, and reappeared directly in front of her. Surprised, Riley hardly had a second's time to react before the sharp tip of the scepter touched her chest, attacking her heart.

_I am Riley Harrow. I am Riley Harrow, _Riley began rambling immediately, over and over again in her head. _Loki's my mentor, but he's evil. I'm an agent of SHIELD, Riley Harrow. My name is Riley Harrow. I am Loki Laufeyson. Wait...what? No! That's not right…_

"No! I'm Riley!" Riley shouted, out loud this time. It dawned on her then why he had chosen such a secluded area to practice in-if anyone passing by had been watching, they would have thought Riley had gone mad. "My name's Loki! No—no, that's not right, damn it! Argh!"

Loki lowered the scepter to his side, smirking in blatant amusement as the girl began to argue with herself, looking positively deranged. It was fascinating, how planting a single phrase like _"I am Loki Laufeyson"_ into one's head could cause so much damage. This was what Loki missed the most...that power, that sense of superiority he had over the Midgardians before. He relished in that feeling of standing taller above them, watching them cower before him...

_"Harrow!" _Riley shrieked, snapping Loki back out of his thoughts. She had begun to wring her hands through her hair, biting down hard on her lower lip.

"If you cannot even decide on your own identity," Loki called to her, his lips curved upward into a sneer, "then how can you even _begin_ to think that you stand a chance against being convinced of something far more dangerous in war?"

"Shut—" Riley snapped at him, before breaking off, frowning slightly. "I mean, I'm sorry...Wait, no I'm not! What am I even saying?"

"Who are you again?" Loki pressed, leaning against the wall behind him with a delighted smirk.

"Loki Harrow! No—ugh! Stop it!" Riley shook her head several times. She could practically feel the icy burn of Loki's own mind coiling up through her veins, whispering things into her head and tossing out her own thoughts carelessly. It was no use arguing with the God of Mischief's hissing thoughts in her mind, and it did no more good to argue with the real Loki.

So what was she supposed to do, then? He wasn't allowed to break a bottle on his head..._Wait, he? His?_

"I'm a girl," Riley told herself, clutching her head in her hands.

"Well, that is certainly a surprise to me," Loki countered.

"You shut up!" Riley snarled at him. Forcing herself to sink into the seat behind her again, she breathed in deeply, attempting to get ahold of her mind. If she could just concentrate-without Loki making his own commentary every five seconds-then maybe she would have a slightly better chance.

_I am Riley Harrow. I have always _been _Riley Harrow. Stark calls me things like Lassie because my name's like a dog. Riley. Not Loki._

Loki had to admit it-despite the girl's quite obvious lack of ability to maintain a cool head, she did in fact have at least a shred of control. With even the highest of trained agents like Clint Barton, they had fallen right into his mind control without putting up the slightest fight. But whether it was because Harrow had a better grasp due to her being half-Asgardian or not, she still had a certain authority over her own mind.

"Will it go away permanently now?" Riley asked between shaky breaths—although she had not done anything physically strenuous, it had still taken all her energy to do. "I think...I think I'm back in control."

"You must not 'think,' you must 'know,'" Loki corrected her, still leaning against the wall behind him, legs crossed casually. "If you _think _you're in control, that shows uncertainty, therefore making you more vulnerable. If you _know _that you are in control, then it must be so."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the fortune-cookie lesson...All right, so I _know _that I'm in control, then. Now what?"

The side of Loki's lip twitched upward. "Well, what you are doing right now is just suppressing my influence. This is so that, in the middle of a fight, you can keep a clear head for the time being. However, the moment you let yourself relax again, you will fall right back into your enemy's hands."

Riley bit her lip. "So, what you're saying is that you're still in my head?"

Loki nodded once.

"And therefore I still have to do the same thing from before to break the control?"

Another nod.

Riley groaned. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Certainly not. What's your name?" he inquired, in a tone that suggested he was speaking to a child.

"Loki Laufeyson," Riley answered with utmost confidence, crossing her arms across her chest. "What's your point?"

Loki hesitated, rolling his green eyes around at her ignorance. "You are by far the most dim-witted, stubborn child I have ever met."

Riley opened her mouth to object, then closed it again. "Wait a minute...what did I say just now?"

"You are still under the impression that your name is mine."

"How did I not notice?" Riley sighed, clamping her hands down onto the sides of her head. "Ugh...I don't think my head's ready for another beating."

"Well, if you'd rather go by my name for the rest of your life..." said Loki, twisting an empty bottle of alcohol in his right hand, that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

Riley got to her feet. "Gimmee the bottle," she slurred, holding the side of her head with one hand now.

"Oh, as fun as it would be to see you do that yourself, I think I will do the honors."

"Hey—wait, no—" Riley protested, leaping back.

Loki darted forward like a snake, much like he had before when he'd planted a peck on her cheek, and swiftly knocked the bottle into the side of her forehead. Riley staggered, letting out a yelp of pain, and sank to the floor. The glass of the bottle, surprisingly enough, remained intact under some sort of spell, not shattering but still leaving the same impact regardless.

"Oh, come now, that was not horrible," said Loki, watching her collapse into a heap with her head between her knees.

"Yeah? Well, why don't we trade places, then?" Riley snarled back at him between gritted teeth. "Shit..."

"Because I am not an incompetent idiot."

Riley rounded on him with burning eyes, but she kept her mouth clamped shut.

"Ah, I see we're learning _something, _at least. I daresay you've hardly learned or improved upon any—what?" Loki paused; a flash of fear had run across Riley's expression, and she winced noticeably.

"Kane said that before."

Loki frowned over at her, but he said nothing. There was yet another awkward pause in which Loki cast his green gaze over to one of the torches on the wall. The son of Aberle had said the same thing? The _exact _same? Or perhaps something similar? He disliked the idea of sharing the same thought with him, whether it had to do with Riley or not.

"And what else did he tell you?" Loki pressed, sounding outwardly aloof. In reality, he was actually quite interested...What, pray tell, _had _the filthy brute said, before Loki had slammed the door open?

Riley blinked up at him. _Oh, sure, throw salt on my wounds, why don't you,_ she thought, raising one hand to rub the rising bump forming on the side of her head, from where the bottle hit. _It's not like it didn't hurt enough the first time. But now? Now what, you're mocking me?_

"He just...confirmed what you said before," Riley confessed, shrugging as if it didn't matter.

Loki swallowed a bit, still staring into the flickering flames of the torch. "Oh? And what was that?"

Riley turned sharply to glare at him. "You may be a master liar, Loki, but anyone can see through you presently. Don't act like you don't remember."

"What?"

"'What is there to like, my dear?'" Riley mimicked, making an actually pretty accurate impression of Loki's voice, from the day when he'd basically spit all over what was left of her confidence. "'Not the inside nor the outside are in any way desirable.' Like I didn't have enough insecurities before, thanks."

_Ah, that._ "I believe I have already addressed my 'mistake' before—" said Loki.

"No, no, it wasn't your fault," Riley continued, getting to her feet and ignoring the throbbing pain in her head. "Kane thought the same exact thing. It's all right, actually. I haven't had a self-esteem wakeup call like this since college, so I guess I was a bit overdue anyway."

Damn. How the hell did this childish, aggravating girl keep doing this to him? With any regular person, this would be like a treat, breaking them down into bits and watching them fall apart. And yet, watching her crumble gave him no satisfaction. The water-stained, deeply wounded flash in her eyes brought on no amusement, no hilarity...

"Look," Loki began, exhaling in obvious annoyance, yet hoping it didn't come across that way, "I'm not—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Am I interrupting something?"

Both Riley and Loki looked up from their locked glares or gazes, snapping their heads in the direction of the doorway. Amidst their fight, unbeknownst to them, the door had swung open, drowning the room in the bright afternoon sunlight.

Standing in the middle of the doorway, looking as though she were glowing from the bright light, was a drop-dead gorgeous woman, certainly not helping Riley's current situation any. Her long, billowing locks of golden hair floated up around her, as though caught by an unseen wind. Her sharp cerulean eyes seemed to pierce straight through Riley, illuminated more brightly than any shade of blue Riley had ever seen in her life. She had lightly tanned, unblemished fair skin, a figure to absolutely _die _for, and perfectly rounded pink lips.

To complete the image, she wore a shortly cut green dress, accompanied by some sort of matching crown-like headpiece, and black stockings going up her long, slender legs.

Riley blinked at her through the blinding sunglight, unsure of whether the woman was actually there or not. How could she be? No _real _woman, goddess or not, was that breathtaking.

"I _did_ interrupt, didn't I? Oh no! How rude of me." Even the woman's voice was like sweet honey, melodious as though she were singing every word.

"Not...not really," Riley answered, still staring at her with a fish-out-of-water-look, forgetting what she had even been arguing about.

"Oh good!" The woman glided into the room toward Loki, grinning a set of pearly teeth. "I wanted to speak with you, Loki Laufeyson."

"I know you." Unfazed, Loki stood in the same place he'd been before, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the woman approach him. "The Allfather has requested your aid before."

Loki recalled having seen the blonde once before...Odin had called her in for something a while ago, before Loki had even known his true parentage. He could not remember what she was there _for, _but he recognized her appearance. There was no mistaking it.

She was an Enchanter.

"You remember me, do you?" the woman asked, flashing him another winning smile. "But not by my name, I see. Tch. Just another pretty face, I suppose, am I?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing. "The Enchantress Amora. To what do we owe your presence?"

So they knew each other. Riley looked between the two, at a loss for words.

"The Allfather called me in again. I assume it has something to do with the war."

"Ah. And did he send for you to come here as well, in the middle of my training session?"

Amora made a pouting-like face with her lip that could make even a puppy give her its own food. "I wanted to pay you a visit, Loki. Is that such a crime, love?"

Loki wasn't buying it. Internally he curled his lip in distaste, wanting nothing more than to escort her out of the room and slam the door in her face...Yes, he remembered her all right. He remembered her pining constantly after Thor, following him around as though glued to his side. She was clearly infatuated with him, and Loki knew all too well from the heart worn on her sleeve what she _really _wanted.

"Should you not be speaking with Thor?" Loki suggested.

Amora's pretty face fell, looking disillusioned. "Thor? Oh...well, yes, I've spoken with your brother-"

"Not his brother," Riley corrected, piping up before Loki could.

Amora turned her attention sharply onto Riley, as though only remembering now that she was there.

"Oh, sorry, my dear," she apologized quickly. "I went on rambling and didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Amora. And you are...?"

"Riley," Riley returned, still in a hypnotic-like state. "You're...really pretty," she said, without thinking first. Loki glanced over in her direction out of the corner of his eye, eyebrows lifted a bit.

The woman giggled loudly, reaching out to ruffle Riley's hair as though she were a silly child or a dog. "Why thank you! How nice of you…Is this your student, Loki? She's so cute! You're like a little mouse." She winked one thick eyelash.

A mouse. Of _all _the animals she could have chosen, including the over-used dog comparison, she picked a rodent. Riley bit down hard on her lip to prevent herself from saying anything more.

"Yes, I am currently mentoring her," Loki answered, his mouth a thin line.

Amora turned her attention back to Loki. "As I was saying, I have seen your broth—_Thor,_ I mean—but what does that bit of information have to do with anything? The one I really wanted to drop in on was _you."_

Loki had to hold back a derisive snort. Right. Did Amora really, truly believe that she could fool the God of Lies of all people? Foolish. He knew her true intentions all too well: To wrap Loki up into her scheme, while here in the Asgardian palace, and attempt to drive Thor into a rage of jealousy, therefore falling for her 'head-over-heels.' A pathetic, not in the least bit clever plan.

"Very well. But as you can blatantly see, I am quite busy right now with my apprentice, and I would appreciate it if you would allow us some space."

Amora gave another little pout of the face, but she didn't object this time. "Oh, all right. But do not fret, I assure you I'll be back whenever you have the time! Let me know."

And with that, Amora gave a little wink, blew him a light kiss that Riley could practically see fly through the air, and fluttered out through the doorway, shutting it behind her lightly, returning the darkness to the room.

Riley blinked. "What...just happened?"

Loki shook his head curtly. "Never mind her. Your training is fruitless if we take so many breaks in between sessions. We shall continue with the mind control..."

Outside the door, Amora came to a halt, pressing one ear up against the wall before turning away, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She was getting sidetracked...her real purpose, unknown to Loki and his foolish brother, was to attempt to break Thor's connection with the human girl...Jane, was it? It was under Odin's own orders, of course, but it worked out in her favor...She would get the prize she truly desired, Thor, and destroy his bond with the other woman.

Tying Loki around her finger was just the first step. Once she had him tightly wound, she had a feeling an envious nature would rise in Thor. As silly as it sounded, she knew it would work-being an Enchantress in all came in handy in those times. Once Thor had begun to notice her, she would be able to rope him into her scheme as well, perhaps with the help of a few potions, and she'd leave Loki at the curb.

She didn't honestly want Loki for herself—Thor was the true man she pined hopelessly after—but now, there was another motive at play. Whilst in the room, she'd seen the spark. Amora, Enchantress of Love, was _never _wrong on these intuitions. Whether the peasant girl Riley knew it or not, she had a certain affinity toward the God of Mischief. The flush of her cheeks, the stammer of her words...It was all too obvious. Amora knew a schoolgirl crush when she saw one. But it didn't matter that the plain-faced mouse didn't know it herself; all that mattered was, if she pulled the right strings, the girl would absolutely bubble with envy regardless.

So, win-win, on her part, at least. Get Thor, break a few hearts along the way...

It was what she did best.

...

_Guys, I just want you to know that this is my take on how Enchantress should be. Beyond it being branched off of the character, it has nothing to do with the comics, so I apologize right now to any hardcore Thor fans out there who may say I'm writing her wrong. If you have any character suggestions (Or ideas in general, pertaining to Enchantress), please feel free to let me know! I don't know a whole lot about her besides what I've read._

_Anyway..._

_Viktorskrumpet: Thank you! I agree—Kane deserved a much worse punishment, but sadly, I had to make it more realistic :( And yeah, I agree! Loki's finally starting to break apart around Riley, whether he knows it or not ;)_

_whynotlive: Thanks! Really glad you're liking the story, and yeah, there was a bit of that in this chapter mentioned haha xD Poor Loki and Riley, all confused..._

_Stargazer1364: Yup, got his trousers in a bind x) haha! Yup, he carried her out. Granted, she was bleeding all over the bed covers and floor-although Loki shouldn't have snapped at the poor redhead nurse._

_random-is-awesome: Thanks so much! Sorry I didn't update very 'soon.' :(_

_Viv: Thanks for your two reviews, that made me so happy! :D And thank you—I don't want Loki to realize anything just yet. He's in a bit of a bundle of confusion over his feelings right now, and he mainly attributes it to him disliking Riley. And really, REALLY sorry about not replying for a century! I had a lot of work, and I seriously neglected you guys :(_

_sekirk: Thank you so much! Yeah, I try to keep Riley on her toes, still wary of Loki. I find it unrealistic that anyone would easily relax around someone who tried to take over Earth and kill your friends...So thanks!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey guys, yet again, I must apologize for being absent for so long. I became swamped up with work and I'm trying to balance my grades right now, but hopefully, will all the holidays coming up, I'll have some more time. Anyway, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?_

_The Good news: I just found out what is supposed to happen in Thor 2, which will tremendously help me in my plot currently!_

_The Bad news: Major spoilers. If I'm going to go loosely by what is supposedly going to happen in the next Thor movie (going off of some articles I've read online that may or may not be true), then I may ruin it for some of you who do not wish to know what happens. If this is the case, I'm afraid you may not want to continue reading my story, sadly :( I have added my own twists to the plot I've been given, but a lot of it is still spoilers, so I shall give you a fair warning now: If you do not want to know what happens in the next movie, do not keep reading. _

_Sorry, guys. For those of you who already know what's going to happen/don't care about spoilers, read on! I hope you'll enjoy my interpretation of the plot, and reviews and favorites are still appreciated. Thanks!_

_..._

Riley spun the glowing flicker of bluish light around on the tip of her finger, tracking its movements as it danced here and there. Every so often, the crimson color from before flashed in the flame, then darted away again, leaving it ocean-like again.

It was not that she did not find it strange that Loki had not shown up for practice that morning, but hey, who was she to complain? She wasn't awoken by his usual loud and rude knock on her door at six in the morning, and she'd actually been able to sleep in. Most mornings, she would pull the covers up over her head, ignoring the constant thud of his fist on the bedroom door, until Loki would finally grow fed up and break the lock, storming in to shake her awake. This particular method annoyed Riley, whose warm covers were torn away from her as Loki snapped at her to get her "incompetent little ass" out of bed.

Riley took a bite of the apple in her left hand as she continued to spin the ball of blue light on her fingertip, earning a satisfactory _crunch! _as she did so. She leaned against one of the inner walls of the palace near the dining hall, sitting on the ground with her back up against the concrete wall pattern. Every now and then, an Asgardian would pass her by, flashing her a perplexed or rude look as they went, as though she were a peasant begging for food.

Gazing up at one of the windows, Riley watched the trail of light beaming down from the evening sun outside, casting vast shadows across the elegant tiling. It did bother her a bit that Loki had not even dropped in to let her know that he would be gone all day, but she assumed it could only mean he was really busy. She had spoken with Thor earlier that morning, but he was not clear as to Loki's whereabouts.

Riley tore another piece of the apple away, frowning as she chewed. It only occurred to her then that there was the possibility Loki was doing something out of his probation. If Thor was not supervising him, was Heimdall? Or Odin?

"It is comforting to know how my student spends her free time."

Riley did not even bother to look up when she spoke, but rather continued to gnaw on the apple. "Hi, Loki."

There was a highly feminine giggle. "Oh dear. The little mouse has found fire."

Over the period of time she'd spent in Asgard, Riley had learned to not be startled by Loki's tricks; breathing cold air down her neck, whispering in her ear, whatever the case may be...But never once had she ever heard Loki _giggle._

The miniscule flame dancing on Riley's finger burst into an enormous ball of light larger than Riley's head, then expanded and exploded across the room, smashing the upper windows of the palace. Riley shielded her face calmly, all too used to the shower of glass that fell down like rain on a daily basis, always due to her own mishaps.

Riley sprang to her feet, ditching the apple core on the ground, and turned a bit to look to the side. As she had suspected, Loki stood in front of her, with his lean arms crossed over his chest, his expression somewhat sour. However, beside him was the Enchantress Amora, with a hand against her full pink lips in surprise.

"Oops!" she said in a shrill voice, looking between Riley and the shattered glass.

"This is not an uncommon occurrence, sadly," said Loki, rolling his eyes and waving a pale hand nonchalantly, returning all of the window pieces back to their designated places. "My student is far from experienced in her control, despite my teachings."

"Well, maybe I just have a poor teacher," Riley muttered back at him under her breath. "And where have _you_ been?" she demanded accusingly. "You never woke me for our morning practice and run, nor our afternoon work."

"I was discussing matters with the Allfather. Not pertaining to you, Miss Harrow," he added as Riley opened her mouth, then shut it again. "They do not concern you."

"We ran into each other on the way down here," Enchantress continued before Riley could start another argument with Loki, twirling one lock of golden hair around a slender finger. "He's refused to open his mouth on the matters, though, the Silver-tongued genius." She drew one slim arm around Loki's shoulders. "I'm sure it will eventually, though..." She winked at him.

"'Genius'?" Riley repeated with a smirk as Loki pulled out of Amora's grip, though a twinge of annoyance had begun to stir inside of her. "Uh, Amora, are we talking about the same person here—?"

"I do not have the time for any petty debates today," said Loki, sighing a bit as he massaged his temples in exasperation.

He'd been to visit with the Allfather and Thor (under strict observation, of course). As they murmured things back and forth, he remained silent, listening intently with only nods of curt acknowledgement, finding it not in his place to speak out. Apparently Jane Foster, Thor's silly little insignificant human lover, had been overwhelmed by some sort of sickness, according to Heimdall. Of course, in order to come to the woman's aide, she would have to be transported into Asgard, naturally.

Loki curled his lip in sheer disgust. In order to conjure up enough magic to bring her to their world, Loki was forced to, under Odin's orders, use his own sorcery and talents to help to transport her to Asgard. How shameful it was, that his talents be put to use in such _meaningless, _irrelevant ways.

"And why's that?" Riley pried, looking up into Loki's eyes probingly. Whilst stewing in his own thoughts and anger, Riley had approached him silently to stand in front of him, a few good feet shorter than him in height.

"Idiotic questions strewn about aimlessly will get you nowhere," Loki answered, sweeping her aside easily with one arm.

"I have no idea what you're even trying to say anymore," Riley continued, following after him, with Amora at her heels, "but I'd like to know more of why I missed practice today. Like, what Odin actually said to you. I mean, if _I _had just gone off somewhere without any notice, you would have murdered me, regardless of my excuses!"

Loki quickened his pace down the hall, his handsome green cloak billowing behind him heavily. Riley narrowed her eyes at him, still keeping up with his speed.

"I have business that I must attend to in my study. If you are _so concerned, _speak with the Allfather yourself!"

And with that, Loki sharply turned the corner, still stone-faced and irritable.

Riley came to a halt at the edge of the hallway corner, and Amora bumped into her back, having been one step behind her.

"Arsehole," Riley muttered after him, watching his figure slowly growing smaller as he stalked off.

"Well, snakes have no time for mice, you know" said Amora, brushing off the areas where she'd come in contact with Riley, her nose wrinkled a bit.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Riley countered, turning to look back at her, eyes darkening into slits.

Amora grinned at the girl's reaction. She was just making the game_ far_ too effortless—most of her prey just brushed off her comments until they reached their breaking point, but it seemed that this girl had no boundary line to her anger.

"Oh, dear, I've upset you, haven't I?" Amora's pale blue eyes darkened into a navy color. "I only wished to warn you, love. I'm doing you a _favor._ Snakes like Loki will just swallow you up and throw you away when you're of no more use to them."

Riley grit her teeth, which had become a bad habit of hers at this point. She knew she should just drop the conversation, considering it was fruitless, but she couldn't help herself. "How do you mean? No more 'use'?"

"Well, he only teaches you under Odin's _force_, you know." Amora picked at one of her many shined pink nails, clicking them against each other. "But Loki isn't one to give in so easily. He must have other intentions...and when those have been fulfilled, you'll just be swept to the curb, like common trash."

_"Hey!" _Riley wheeled around, her eyes flaming. The faintest flicker of licking blue flames lit up in her now-balled fists.

_Ah. Touchy._ "Oh, no, no! I didn't mean it in that way, hon. Do not slay the messenger for merely passing on the message. I mean not that you are 'trash,' but rather that Loki _deems _you in that way. You're being _used."_

"I'm being_ taught_," Riley shot back, but she had begun to self-consciously bite her lip. "There's nothing I have to offer that Loki could possibly want."

Amora giggled shrilly. "Surely you don't think I meant that he wanted anything _physically_ from you?" she demanded, looking Riley up and down with amused blue eyes.

"No, I've come to not jump to that conclusion about anyone anymore," Riley snapped, as her mind instantly jumped back to Kane. She shut her eyes for a moment, shooing away the memory.

"Oh good! It's good that you're aware it."

Riley had begun walking down the hallway again without quite knowing it, subconsciously wanting nothing more than to get away from the woman. All manner of names were running about in her mind, but she had to force herself to not let any of them escape her lips.

She'd dealt with the preppy cheerleader-types and 'popular' girls in school before; the problem with females is, they dig into your skin with subtle remarks that may come across as innocent to anyone else, but to the person receiving them, they are nothing short of rude.

But Riley had learned from experience that it was better to be a wallflower during her high school years. It was around the fourth or fifth time that Riley had unknowingly blown apart a sink or a water fountain that she realized she had a problem, and that arguing would only lead to disaster on her part.

"I'd just _love _to style your hair, you know," said Amora, trailing behind her, running a careless hand through Riley's long strands of brown hair. "Braid it, perhaps? Make it look decent, yes. How would you feel about a splash of color? Mousy brown is _never _a good route to take, love."

Amora knew already that the plain girl would decline to any changes, even if they were positive. The only reason the Enchantress asked was because she knew beforehand that Riley would refuse the help—it wasn't like Amora actually _wanted_ to improve her any, for that would be a futile task—but would be angered by Amora's suggestions.

Riley's blood boiled. "It's my natural hair color."

"How awful! I'm so sorry, my dear. Well, not to worry your little head about it. Enchantress Amora's on the job...Perhaps some blond highlights?"

"Actually," said a second voice, just as Riley was on the verge of whirling around and clocking Amora's lights out, "some assistance would be somewhat appreciated, Miss Harrow."

Loki was holding a wad of documents and scrolls in his arms, all tied together with loose red ribbons and such. He had a couple of quills and a bottle of ink hovering in the air beside him, conjured up by magic.

"You know, if you're going to pop up everywhere, a little warning of some sort would be nice," Riley commented, but internally, she was relieved. She wondered how much Loki had heard.

"Oh, organizing documents, are we?" Amora chirped. "I'd love to assist you, Loki! I organize work all the time."

Riley raised her eyebrows at Amora, with her French-tipped pink fingernails, which appeared to have never done a bit of manual labor in their entire life.

"Should you not be pestering your_ real_ aim?" Loki answered her, shoving about half of the parchment papers into Riley's arms. "Thor is not presently occupied."

The Enchantress mimicked that of a person who'd been slapped across the face. "I—of course not, why would I—? Thor? Nonsense—"

"I believe Thor is currently with the Allfather. Why not pay him a visit?" Loki suggested, his catlike green eyes thinning.

Riley frowned up at Loki. His sharpened, icy voice had smoothed some, sounding almost…_pleasing_ to the ears. What trick was he playing at now?

The Enchantress frowned some, her facial expression mimicking that of a slow troll. "I…Thor?" She seemed at a loss for how to counter his words.

"Very good," Loki remarked, smirking some. _Amora should remember that she is not the only magic wielder in this Realm. _

With the simple utterance of a spell, Amora was now dumbfounded and wiped clean of all logical thoughts. "Hurry up; these won't sort themselves," he ordered to Riley snappishly, continuing down the last bit of the hallway toward an open door at the end of it.

Riley hurried behind him, glancing back over her shoulder at Amora, bemused as the Enchanter continued to stare vacantly at the place where Loki had been, her thin eyebrows furrowed. They crossed into the dimly-lit study at the end of the hall together, and Loki shut the door softly behind them.

Amora was beginning to become a _real bloody thorn_ in the Mischief God's side. He'd overheard the entire conversation between the two indeed quite opposite women… He found it both amusing and strangely pitiable, as the wound was all too evident in Riley's voice. He only intervened, however, when he knew that Riley was right about to strike. After studying as her mentor for so long, he knew exactly when she was ready to snap, and he was not partial to cleaning up after her mess.

A fight between a foolhardy half-blood and a foolish Enchanter would not end well.

"These are heavy," Riley remarked as she heaved a stack of parchment onto Loki's desk.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Sort them by the dates marked in the upper right-hand corner. Make a separate section for the ones without any dates written."

"We could be doing something _actually_ productive right now," Riley mumbled as she sank to the ground, gathering the loose papers over to her. "Y'know, like, I dunno, _training?_ Not servant's work?"

"Unless you would prefer to continue your previous conversation with the_ lovely_ Enchantress, then I suggest you keep your ill-bred mouth shut and begin working."

"You're one to talk," Riley muttered back under her breath. Loki cast his flashing eyes in her direction and she finally quieted, sitting obediently criss-cross against one of the polished concrete walls. She ran a finger along a tattered pile of worn documents, scanning them for a date before placing them into a designated pile. The work was tedious, but Riley was semi-grateful regardless for a bit of a break.

Loki wasn't sure how long the enchantment placed on Amora would last, but he could only anticipate that she would wander off to go and bother Thor. It was blatantly obvious that she wanted nothing to do with him—an Enchanter's ignorant charms made no mark on an endowed liar—and it irked him that she continued to pursue him in an attempt to stir up envy in Thor.

He watched Riley out of the corner of his eye as she set to work, grumbling about how inane it was. Loki himself had other work to attend to—he gathered a large stack of spell books onto his wooden desk, then began skimming the pages, lightly blowing dust away from them ever so often. He drew a thin finger along one of his hollow cheekbones, which had only just begun to recover somewhat from his time since his fall into the black abyss…

Jane Foster had not fallen under any common Midgardian sickness, that much was true. When she'd been transported there earlier that day, Odin had Loki inspect the woman for signs that only he would know: Dark magic. Something much more sinister was at play than your common cold. Loki didn't have much to work with, but he had Foster's symptoms scrawled down on a sheet of parchment, which he held in one hand.

From what he could tell, it was not something from inside the walls of Asgard. No, whatever had its hand clenched on Foster was from another Realm entirely...but which one? Alfheim? Svartalfheim? ...The Realm of the Frost Giants?

Loki moved quickly, tossing one book aside after the other. It was around the sixth one that Riley shouted some sort of aggravated objection at him, having been hit in the head by one of the haphazardly thrown novels. He ignored her, continuing on his search through the heap of books.

Finally, on the ninth book, something caught Loki's careful eye. He ran a thin finger along the page, murmuring each word aloud under his breath. All of the symptoms—such as sudden outbursts of anger, change in behavior and mood, bluish tints to the skin, and violent changes in vocal levels—linked up to one likelihood:

_The Dark Elves._

There was a sudden rumbling sound. Loki stood abruptly at his desk, a frown plaguing his facial features. In the corner of the room, Riley stirred some, her expression alarmed.

"What was that?" Riley asked sleepily. She'd fallen asleep a half hour or so ago, sometime after Loki had hit her with one of the books. Some black ink from one of the older documents had been smeared messily across her cheek.

Loki's now-bottle green eyes narrowed. He rose away from his desk chair, listening hard. A hush overtook the room, and both Riley and Loki fell exceedingly silent, staring at each other with raised eyebrows.

The sound echoed again, this time more clearly. It was as though a cannon had been shot somewhere very close nearby.

Riley stood up and brushed dust and ink from her clothes. Loki descended the three steps leading up to his tall study desk and approached the door beside Riley, pressing an ear against it. For a moment, there was quiet again. Then—

_BOOM!_

Riley barely had any time to react. She was used to grenades and various weapons or explosives from her time during SHIELD, but it had been a while, and she was rusty in that department. Despite her training sessions with Loki, her responses to things since her move to Asgard had slowly deteriorated from viper-like to bordering leisurely.

Thankfully, at least one of them knew what they were doing; Loki threw himself hastily aside, taking Riley with him, wrapping his lean arms tightly around her waist. They hit the ground in front of the desk heavily as broken glass, wood, and other materials rained down upon them. As the pair hit the ground, Riley felt the wind whisk from her lungs and she gasped, wincing slightly as her shoulder slammed into the concrete tiling.

Loki drew his green cloak away from his robes and over them, shielding the pair from the falling debris. Riley lay low underneath him, barely breathing now, her eyes watering. On impact, she'd split her lip open, and a trickle of blood ran down the edge of her mouth to her chin.

After another minute or two, the explosion ceased. Loki's darkened green eyes darted back and forth, but he didn't dare move a muscle, his expression cautious.

Riley remained still, also listening for any sign of movement, but she was all too aware now of how close they were to each other. Loki breathed steadily above her, his golden-armored chest moving steadily forward and back inches from her face. Clearly it was only affecting empty-headed Riley, however; Loki continued to glance around silently, not paying her any mind. His cold breath chilled her face like an icy wind, sending shivers up her spine.

"Loki," Riley whispered.

Loki did not acknowledge her.

"Loki," she repeated.

Still, he made no sudden movement.

_"Loki-!"_

Loki snapped his head sharply downward to look at her, his eyes flashing._ "Keep quiet, y—"_

"In here!" a gravelly voice shouted.

"Damn," said Loki.

He leapt up off of Riley, leaving her defenseless on the ground, and raised his right hand. A bolt of violent blue electricity erupted from the palm of it, rocketing across the room. The man in the doorway gave a surprised yell and crumpled, falling lifeless into a crumpled pile on the ground.

Riley jumped to her feet and ran over for a better look, wiping stray blood from her mouth. The creature on the floor was no man, that much was obvious—but he had very similar traits to a human. However, his skin was dark blue and his long, candy floss white hair fell messily about his shoulders, his blank, open eyes black and unresponsive.

"What...what _is _that?" Riley asked, frowning down at the creature in blatant awe.

"A Dark Elf," Loki answered, his expression hard, "from Svartalfheim...But how...?"

Loki jerked his head in the direction of the gaping, sizzling hole in the wall. Outside of the room, echoing sounds of alarm began to rise somewhere nearby—shouts and orders of war, followed by cries of anguish and distress that pierced the air, stinging Riley's ears.

"Shit! What's going on? An invasion?" Riley looked to Loki for answers, but he made no response.

Loki grit his teeth. There wasn't any time left to determine what their purpose was for being there, but he needed to find the whereabouts of the Allfather and Thor. Perhaps they were in battle now, perhaps they were unaware of what was occurring…In spite of which it was, without another word, he bolted for the door, climbing effortlessly out through the hole in the wall.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Riley hurried after him, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. What the hell was happening? She'd never heard of any Dark Elves before...But she could conclude that they were clearly not a friend of Asgard's.

"Stay there!" Loki hollered back at her over his gold-armored shoulder. He now had the glowing blue scepter clenched in his left hand, materialized from who-knows-where. "It's a raid."

"No way! I'm not staying back here so you can do all of the work! Don't forget that I kicked your arse on Midgard!"

Loki halted halfway down the corridor, turning fully to face her. "This is _different_. Dark Elves are not merciful beings, Harrow. They are far worse than the Chitauri, much more difficult to take down in numbers. You haven't trained enough—"

"Bullshit!" Riley just about wanted to rip out her own hair. What was he getting at, saying she wasn't strong or learned enough to fight? "I'm coming with you—"

An enormous chunk of the ceiling broke off and crashed heavily onto the floor a foot behind Riley, who hastily moved out of the way with a yelp to avoid being crushed. Bits and pieces here and there of the palace had begun to crumble, and as they reached the main dining hall, Riley was horribly aware of a swarming army. All blue, all tall, and bearing their yellowing teeth, Dark Elves charged in every direction, shooting aggressive blue lights from the palms of their hands—much like Riley's own power.

Sif, Hogun, and Fandral were in the middle of the dining hall floor, fending off the Elves left and right with their swords, echoing clashes each time they made impact. It was the first time Riley had actually seen any of the Warriors Three fight, and she had to admit—they were pretty damn good.

But 'good' wasn't enough to stop them. Every doorway, every inch of the palace just _crawled _with the creatures. Riley raised her hands in duel as they approached, circling around her and Loki, who blasted through them without difficulty with the aid of his scepter, unwaveringly headed toward the massive staircase in the back.

"Sif!" Riley shouted, shoving her way across the room with ricocheting projection blasts. Conducting them with her 'psychic' hands, she lifted various objects such as enormous vases, which no doubt cost more money than three Ferraris in Midgardian money, and smashed them onto the heads of unsuspecting Dark Elves. They made decent weapons, at least.

"Riley! Are you fairing all right?" Sif asked, slicing into a Dark Elf's shoulder with a violent gesture.

"Yeah, fine! How about you?" said Riley, leaping upward and kicking one of the Elves square in the chest.

"Just fantastic! Where's Loki? Weren't you with him?"

"He was here a second ago...But never mind him. Where's Odin and Thor?"

"Oh, Hell! You think he's made an escape attempt or something?"

"The king!" Riley persisted. "And Thor. Where are they?"

"I haven't—" Sif stabbed one of the elves sharply in the stomach, giving a slight grunt as she did so. "—seen them."

Riley swung around, knocking one of the Elves away from her as it conjured up magic in its bare hands.

"So this came out of left field," Riley continued as she dueled, wiping sweat from her brow. "Any idea as to what's actually happening?"

"Not the slightest," said Fandral, swinging his sword around skillfully, as though it were a second nature to him. "I mean, clearly it's an invasion, so naturally they had the element of surprise."

"Dark Elves are very skilled in war strategies," Sif added. "But how they got past the guards and Heimdall is beyond me. Here, take this!" she added, drawing a sword from her side pocket and tossing it to Riley.

"I don't know how to use a sword!" Riley protested.

"Asgardians beneath the fighting age!" Volstaag appeared in the middle of the hall, standing on one of the tables, fending off Dark Elves with his left hand, his voice a booming echo. "Please follow the Healers either to the medical center or the underground safe rooms!"

"Should we help?" Riley suggested, but a blond-haired Dark Elf materialized beside Riley, blasting energy projections in her direction. She dove forward onto her stomach, dodging the oncoming blows, and leapt back onto her feet, smirking some.

"Two can play at this game, love." Riley conjured up a tremendous ball of glowing bluish light, which she thrust toward him, throwing him into the palace wall. "Too bad for you I've had such an asshole of a teacher. As it turns out, the bastards are the ones that really improve your skills." This was actually half-true; as much as she hated to admit it, and regardless of the fact that Loki didn't see it, she'd indeed improved a lot since her training sessions started with Loki.

"Then our own talents should be superior," a husky voice growled in Riley's ear, which suddenly blossomed with blood. An elf behind her had struck it, jerking her head and neck sideways painfully. She crumbled to the ground, holding her ear with one hand as fresh blood rushed over her knuckles.

Catching her breath, Riley winced as she slid back up on her knees, staggering to her feet, but the elf struck her again, knocking her to the ground.

"Indeed, the words you spit are correct," the elf hissed, grasping a handful of her hair painfully tight. "The more cruel and powerful the tutor, the more cruel and powerful the outcome. Just remember that your death came at the hand of a solider under Malekith the Accursed."

"Who's Malek—?"

Without hesitation, the elf brought his sword down hard toward her, but in the last split-second, Riley thrust her own sword upward, striking him straight in the heart. He uttered a shuddering gasp of surprise and pain. Although she was not fond of her experience with Kane, she had at least developed a more keen awareness for deflecting blades.

"Yeah, well, my tutor's got a bad attitude and poor social skills," Riley countered, drawing her now-red stained sword back to her side. "But in any case, your death came at my hand, not his. I'm a retired SHIELD agent, after all."

As the elf fell to the ground, black eyes empty and soulless, Riley rotated in a circle, taking in the battle. Chaos ensued in all directions, walls crumbled like bread, and both Asgardian and elf blood painted the cracking tile flooring.

"Riley!" Sif had returned, her lip bruised and eye black, but otherwise not too scuffed up. "Sorry, I got caught up in the moment."

"No problem. I was only just, you know, almost killed by an elf. But do go on."

"You're not getting another apology," said Sif, wiping blood from her forehead. "Anyway, listen; I need you to try and find the Allfather, all right? He may not even be aware of what is happening, if they have not yet reached his whereabouts. Perhaps the throne room?"

Riley opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. She wanted to stay and fight, but if she was needed in other locations, then she would not refuse.

"I'm on it. Leave some elves for me!"

With that, Riley took off through the crowd, shoving her way through and clashing swords ever so often. She scaled the first four steps of the staircase that Loki had been so intent on reaching, then hurried up toward the throne room, silently praying the Allfather was still there. _Alive._

_Stupid! Of course he is. Odin wouldn't be taken down by a couple of brutish elves._

Riley wheeled around the corner, running as fast as her feet would carry her. She pounded down the long hallway, which was empty save for a couple of dead bodies, mainly Dark Elf. She covered her right ear with a cupped hand as she went, attempting to stop the painful flow of blood seeping out.

Finally, she reached the throne room doors, her worst fears slowly confirming. The door had been blasted open, recently, judging by the sizzling black residue clinging to the edges of the hinges. Riley flung the broken half of it open, shoving her way inside.

"Allfather—"

She broke off. To her relief, Odin stood atop his throne, alive and well, adorned with a massive weapon clenched in his hands. Thor and Loki stood on either side of him, wielding their own weapons of scepters and hammers, their expressions full of disdain.

"Riley Harrow!" Thor's dark face split into one of delight. "I have not seen you for some time. I can only apologize that this meeting is not a happy one."

"So you know, then," Riley panted, clasping her hands onto her knees and leaning forward a bit on them, breathing heavily. "Sif sent me for you. Are you all right?"

"It is not I that you should be concerned with, but the state of my kingdom." Odin frowned, distressed, as he gazed across the torn apart throne room.

"We have already fended off entire dozens of them," Thor added, wiping sweat from his brow. "I only wish I had been able to alert you sooner, Lady Harrow. You and my brother—" Loki curled his lip a bit at the word "—were unaware of the battle occurring."

"We were sorting documents. Or _I_ was, anyway," said Riley. "Loki was reading some old Nine Realm books or something—"

"—on my orders—" Odin interrupted, nodding a bit to Thor in confirmation.

"—and we heard nothing until they reached our door. Thanks for ditching me, by the way," she added snappishly to Loki, who almost managed a smirk.

"We are hopelessly unprepared," Odin sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I am not certain of what their purpose of this attack is, but I know that I shall be paying their leader a little visit when this has blown over."

"'Blown over'?" Riley repeated. "Does that mean it's almost over?"

"'Tis but a taste of their power, I think," Thor added. "They want us to be aware of their presence. Their forces here have almost run dry, but I do not believe they ever intended to actually conquer today."

"Why's that?" Riley asked, listening to the sounds of the battle raging on the floor below them.

"Surprise was a good tactic, but not for war. This was just a warning," said Loki smoothly, clenching the scepter tighter in his hands. Although discontented to be back in another war, Loki looked pleased enough to have his old weapon back.

"Well, even if it is only a short battle—"

"—with considerable damage," said Thor, surveying the throne room.

"—we should still go downstairs and help, right? I mean, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstaag are—"

_"NO!"_

Riley turned sharply on her heel in alarm, stopping short mid-sentence. A recognizably ear-splitting shriek suddenly struck the air from the room above, followed by the unmistakable slash of a knife. Riley backed away from the door in terror, her eyes stretched far beyond their ability.

"What...was that?" she whispered.

Odin's weapon fell from his hand and clattered to the ground with a loud _clang! _

"Frigga."

The look of stricken fear on his face could have, in itself, terrified any creature in the room. Speechless, Odin fled from the room with unexpected momentum for his elderly age, his robes sweeping against the ground behind him.

Riley's hands flew up to her mouth in horror. "Frigga? Surely he does not mean—?"

But Thor and Loki did not hesitate. They too followed after their father in a haste, and Riley joined them, despite her perplexity and lack of breath left. They hurried into the royal bedroom on the upper floor above, slamming the door open with enough force to shatter the wood it was crafted from.

Riley's mind spun. Her knees gave out and she sank onto the carpet, her eyes vacant and barely functioning, praying that it was only a mere illusion.

She was vaguely aware of three things happening at once—of Odin thrusting a blow of magic from his hands that swept everyone in the room off their feet, slaying the Dark elf in the room with one move—of Thor hurrying forward, his face contorted and blue eyes gushing—of Loki rushing to his mother's side, clasping her wrist helplessly in his own, his expression not attempting to conceal anything.

When her mind settled, Riley could barely think. Barely speak. Barely_ breathe._

Frigga, birth-mother of Thor and adoptive mother of Loki, wife to Odin, had been slain, lying lifelessly pale and limp in a puddle of her own blood on the elegant red-and-gold rug.

…

_A/N: Yet again, I apologize for both the delay and for using spoilers in my story. I hope you can forgive me, and thanks to everyone's support! _

_Also, your reviews honestly just make me beam like a moron every time I read them. Thank you, loves! _

_Viv: Thank you! Yeah, I sometimes have to return to old chapters and re-read bits and pieces in order to gather my thoughts together. And one can only hope; she is an Enchanter of Love, after all. But sadly, both Riley and Loki are equally incredibly stubborn and refuse to raise a white flag, so it may take more than just Amora ;) _

_Viktorskrumpet: Thanks so much! And I am always pleased to see reviews in my email inbox, too. It always makes my day! Anyway, yeah, Riley's got a lot on her plate right now. Loki's not exactly a kind mentor by any means, and it just makes it ten times more difficult. Riley really has an aversion to egotistical people and cruelty without basis, both of which Loki have. Oh yes, he's finally beginning to realize that Riley is in fact half-human, and therefore has some feelings. I don't think it's quite dawned on him, though. And haha, yes! Even typing her dialogue irks me, quite honestly. Although she won't have a tremendous part to play, you'll still see how she fits into everything._

_Stargazer1346: Thank you! I have not read the comics with Amora, but I have enough knowledge to go off of to hopefully keep her reasonably in-character. And haha, it's all right. We all seem to gain amusement from Riley's various anger issues and struggles, including myself. (: _

_Vincent: Oh, good! I hope I still have you, after retreating once again into the shadows for a while. And thank you so much! :D_

_TheGoldenHairedMockingjay: Thank you!_

_Guest: I'm not quite sure how, but you both saw my point and missed it at the same time. I am a firm believer that if a script is fine, you should leave it as is. I probably should have clarified it more in the beginning, but the main point of the beginning of the story is that everything remains the same, just with my character incorporated into it. I actually tried to change as little lines as possible. I see that you did not read beyond chapter four, but if you do, you'll notice that it goes off-script when it reaches post-Avengers. Anyway, sorry for the confusion!_

_Sekirk: I'm glad to be back, too! :)_

...


	17. Chapter 17

_Wow, guys! 62 reviews, 28 favorites, and 65 followers? I'm seriously honored! I feel like I don't even deserve all this love, you guys!_

_Sorry, per usual, for not updating for a while, but I hope you're still all following, regardless! As ironic as it is, I was actually even more busy over the break, which is no excuse for not updating, but yeah..._

_Oh, and if you've decided to not continue due to spoilers, please let me know. I'll honestly miss any of you that have to go! _

_Also, to those who have been asking: I'm not entirely positive as to whether these spoilers are true or not—I just read them online and went with them—so sorry if things turn out to be different than expected in the actual movie._

_Anyway. Keep it up, loves! _

_..._

It was no elaborate funeral. But then, with what they had left from the attack, how could it be? The trauma had been great, leaving a horrible sensation of loss clouding over the Asgardians.

Riley stood alone in the crowd, feeling more lost than before. Thor and Loki had moved to the throne stage in the main room, with their father and a few other Asgardians, leaving Riley on her own among the grief. Even the Enchantress had shown up, clean from any wounds as though she'd never even shown up for the battle (a distinct possibility). Odin shared a long, deeply moving speech that made Riley's heart ache as though it had been split in half; Thor pounded his fist furiously against the podium, shaking the entire room, and ranted on and on. He promised that the dark elves would pay for their misdeed, that their revenge would sink their very existence into the ground.

But Loki said nothing. Not one word. He did not even bother to step up to the podium, but rather lingered in the background of the stage, staring at the ground with an expression wiped clean of all possible emotion. Occasionally he would swallow noticably and blink his downcast green eyes, but for the most part, he was as still as a statue. However, even from where she stood, there was no mistaking the boiling anger and distress building in Loki's aura. It just about screamed in anguish in Riley's ears.

Riley wiped her eyes on her sleeve, which had already been smeared badly with blood and debris, caking her face with layers of it. Those in need of utmost medical attention lingered in the back, with Healers at their sides. She had a hand cupped over her ear, which still bled a bit from where it had been struck. She had various bruises and scrapes painted along her arms and legs, her clothes were ripped apart and frayed, and she could feel a bruise forming under her right eye. Her neck was also sore, making it difficult for her to crane it to the left. She considered seeing one of the Healers, but decided it was better to let the most wounded go first.

"Make no mistake!" Thor's voice boomed across the broken room. "They will pay for the damages that have been done today. We will not allow them to get away with such a heinous crime!"

Those who still had any energy shouted encouragement and cheered, banging their swords and weapons against the ground.

"My father and I shall have a word on the matter. In the meantime, anyone with magical properties—please come forth and help us to repair what we can! You have all fought well, and I could not be prouder to say that our kingdom still stands tall."

Several more scatters of applauds and hoots went out. Thor bowed low and murmured something to himself, placed a flower over the conjured-up coffin on the throne stage that contained his mother, and moved back behind the curtains, his hands balled into tight fists. Loki followed suit with his eyes downcast and mouth a thin line. He too vanished behind the billowing curtain with his brother and father, leaving the aura on the stage cold and empty. Riley froze as her psychic abilities were overwhelmed by the aura of a dead woman on the stage. She felt a sense of hopelessness, of despair...She shuddered.

As the crowd dispersed and began to clean up the debris, Riley remained rooted on the spot. She was at a loss as to what to do. Should she go and speak with Loki? Or would he just turn her away?

Sighing, she joined in with Sif and several other Asgardians, who were lifting up a large plank of wood and a marble statue. The palace room had been badly torn apart, with overturned tables and shattered windows and wine glasses. Even some wine had been spilled on the ground, but it was hard to distinguish it apart from the blood.

"Such a waste of good wine," Volstagg commented as he dusted off a fallen painting.

"Is that _all _you care about?" Sif snapped. "Volstagg, we have bigger problems at play here. Just look at this place! All this damage from just a group of dark elves...Think about it. We were hopelessly outnumbered."

"Were we?" Riley asked vaguely as she helped lift one of the heavier podiums off of the ground.

Sif nodded. "Did you not notice? Come on, Riley. They were just testing us; there are far more Dark elves than us, and think of it this way: not all Asgardians are warriors, but the vast majority of dark elves _are."_

Riley considered this a moment. "So what are we going to do? Are they going to come back again?"

Sif shook her dark hair slowly. "I really don't know, Riley. I'm just as lost as you are..." Her frown deepened as she looked up at Riley's face. "Hey, you want to take a break and get cleaned up? You look pretty bad."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, really. Your ear's torn. The Healers are in the back over there, so you could—"

"I'm _fine._ Seriously." Riley's own eyes were focused on the stage, where Loki, Thor, and Odin had vanished behind the curtain. She wanted desperately to speak with him, but she knew not what to say.

"What do you lot think Odin's going to decide?" Fandral broke in, wiping dry blood from his blond beard. "I imagine he'll want to speak with their leader, but it would be foolish to march in there on his own."

"I doubt he'd go on his own," Sif pointed out. "He'd probably bring some warriors with him."

"That still wouldn't be enough. I have a keen feeling he's going to declare war."

"The Allfather would not court war unless absolutely necessary."

"And so what, murdering his wife hasn't made him desperate?"

"But what are we supposed to do, Fandral? Look around you! There's no way we can just jump into battle in our current state. We need reinforcements. Allies."

"And who do you think would want to team up with us? Surely not the Fire Giants?"

"Fandral—"

"Or were you planning to round up a pack of _humans?"_

"I'm just pointing out that we cannot fight this war alone!"

"Actually," said Riley, staggering to her feet and dusting off her clothing, "I think I will go see that Healer. My ear _is _kind of bothering me."

Sif nodded her acknowledgement to Riley, but her arguing with Fandral did not cease. They continued to banter back and forth as Riley slipped silently away, climbing the stairs that the two princes and the king had gone up.

...

Loki had at first thought that it had been Jane Foster. Almost _hoped_ that it had been...but no. He could not deny the blatant truth to himself. He knew the voice of his mother-and he was not a fool to mistake her scream for the scream of another.

And in any event, Jane Foster had been locked into a safe room since the moment she arrived on Asgard. Her appearance there was supposed to be kept a secret for the time being, but for her safety, she was guarded in a room with a barrier.

_Why_, Loki thought bitterly, as he gripped the edge of the balcony in his hand tightly till it dented, _why had Frigga not done the same_? Why did it have to be _her? _Why couldn't she have locked her bedroom door more properly?

Frigga was the only one that ever truly cared for him. Lying, back-stabbing Odin cared not for Loki's well-being, always casting him aside under his true son's glory! Frigga, however, was always there for the younger brother when he needed it. Those long nights when he would sob into her shoulder in his youth, unaware as to why he was different. She was what kept him from descending into utter madness, from delving into a state of complete numb emotion. In those times, he was perhaps once even capable of love, before the young prince began to draw further and further into himself, before the deceit showed its true colors...

Loki sighed. He knew that pondering what could have happened would make no difference. His one "real" parent was gone._ Forever_.

The door swung open. Loki gave a small start, having let his guard down, and swung around swiftly with his scepter clenched glowing blue in his hand, prepared to kill.

Riley Harrow jumped as the weapon was turned on her, and she took a step back into the doorway. Loki's flaming eyes, lit with hunger for revenge, simmered as he steadily lowered the scepter. He said nothing.

Riley swallowed visibly. "I thought there weren't many people who could sneak up on you."

"When my mind is at ease." Loki stood on the balcony as a shadowy figure, dark against the setting sun of Asgard's beautiful sky. He turned away from her, grasping hold of the railing again, where there was an apparent dent from his clenched hand. "What do you want?"

Loki's overall demeanor seemed calm enough, but Riley knew better; she could just about feel the overpowering distress of Loki's aura, unmasked by his usual vague cloud. The emotion was so strong that it made Riley share in the distraught aura, far more so than she was initially.

"I'm...well..." As always, words failed to come to Riley's aid. "I just wanted to know if you were all right...Are you?"

Loki remained with his back to her. "Of the two of us here, you are the one dripping blood. Re-consider your question."

Riley could feel the warm blood that had accumulated on her ear, staining her hair red. It was more of an annoyance than a pain, perhaps because the pain had not yet clicked with her.

"I didn't mean physically, and you know that. I meant...well, emotionally." She continued to hesitate in the doorway, fearful of coming any closer to the distressed God of Mischief.

"I'm fine," he said curtly.

Riley rolled her eyes. He was indeed the God of Lies, that was for sure.

There was a pause.

"Why are you still here?" Loki was looking into his own hands now, absentmindedly tracing the lines in his palms. "Should you not be helping repair the palace?"

Riley folded her arms across her chest. "You're not helping, either."

"I am not required to. And given that a death in my family has just occurred..." Loki grew quiet again.

"Lady Frigga was very kind," Riley pointed out.

Loki remained as silent as the grave.

"You know how good a person she was," Riley continued, fiddling with her hands nervously. "There is no doubt in my mind that she is in Valhalla right now, watching us from above. With my Mum." The last part came out subconsciously before she could stop it, and Riley bit her lip, realizing what she'd said.

Loki half-turned so that he was looking back at her. His emerald eyes were cast toward the flooring.

"Loki?"

The faintest trace of water began to accumulate in Loki's eyes.

"Loki—"

"Do not speak to me. Do not look at me. Get_ out!" _Loki's voice was sharply tipped with ice, like daggers in Riley's heart.

Riley remained rooted on the spot, too afraid to run, too afraid to stay in place. As Loki turned sharply away from her, Riley just barely caught a change in his facial expression, a contortion of rage and anguish, so tormented by grief that Riley herself had the desire to break down in tears.

Loki's entire frame shook. He hated Riley's presence in the room, that she was seeing him in this wretched state. He was a person to be feared, not pitied! He was not a god that wore his heart on his sleeve, not a pathetic creature! He was tremendously powerful, and he did not want anyone to ever think anything otherwise.

Riley approached Loki at a distance, slowly coming up to stand beside him, with uncertain compassion. Her mind moved quickly, carefully picking out words and spilling them out. "There is not a creature in this universe that does not go through this pain...I know exactly how you feel."

She laid a hand gently onto his arm. Loki reacted in under a heartbeat, slapping it sharply and painfully away with his cold, bruised hand. Riley shrunk away from him with a stunned wince.

"Simple words for you to utter!" Loki shouted back now, his voice raised and eyes lit with fuming rage. "How could you _possibly _know this pain? Your own parents are _dead, _dead as dust, and they've been long gone before you could even _have_ the chance to remember them!"

He regretted the words the minute they left his lips.

Riley recoiled, stung. Then she recovered a second later and returned the scream, her voice shrill from surprise and hurt. "You're right. I never knew my parents. But so what, that makes things _better_ for me somehow? Yes, you were adopted, Loki, but guess what? _So was I!_ Neither of us were raised by our blood parents. Neither of us knew them, Loki! If my adoptive mother was to die right now, do you think that my pain wouldn't compare to yours? She's still my family, just like Frigga was, whether blood-connected or not. And I didn't even know that I was some half-blooded _mutant freak_ until a couple of years ago, so don't even try to act like you're any different than me!"

Blinking away the tears accumulated in her eyes, Riley felt a stream of them begin to pour down her reddening cheeks. Whether Loki said anything or not after that, she did not know.

"And you know what else, Loki? I _have _felt the pain of loss, and at _your _hand. In case you'd forgotten, you murdered Phil!"

With that, as per usual, being the weak being that she truly was deep down, Riley turned around and took off down the hallway.

Why did he always do this to her? Why did he always stir up these kind of reactions in her? _Why _did she always take his stupid, damn words to heart?

Every time. Why was it that _every time _Loki verbally abused her, she couldn't hold her own? Why did she have to run away crying her eyes out like a child?

It was her fault. She wanted desperately to blame him, to hate every living fiber in him for his cruelty, but she knew it would do no good. _She_ was the one that had approached him in a fragile state, when he clearly wanted to be left alone.

Riley tore up the winding staircase to her room, where she slammed the door. Last time Loki had caused her this much pain, she had sobbed for hours into her mattress, refusing to leave the room, ashamed of how she could never get any men to like her. This time, she irrationally threw herself onto the ground, with her heads clamped on either side of her head, fighting the horribly rising urge to scream and curse and shriek. She trembled, shaking as she cried into the carpeting, and curled up into a ball.

Anger got the best of her. Anger at herself, at Loki, and at the situation. On the wall, one of the mirrors shattered seemingly on its own, showering the room with glass. The lamp that she'd once used to try and defend herself from Kane fell, smashing into the ground alongside the mirror. A ruckus stirred about in the room, shattering the window, tearing the billowing curtains, and dragging open every dresser drawer.

When Riley was able to calm herself, taking hold of her mind, she sat up. She was a complete failure. While all the Asgardians were cleaning up the mess downstairs, she was irrationally creating a new one.

The sensation of fury was too painfully familiar. It was probably due to the fact that she'd drawn back onto thoughts of her parents, of her current condition. She was reminded of her first time being kicked out of SHIELD...this was back when her condition was much, much worse. She'd overheard a fair share of gossip going around the agency, and when a particularly beautiful agent decided to confront her directly with a snide comment, she lost it. The room she was in was destroyed from head to toe, and she'd ended up badly injuring both the catty woman and several innocent bystanders.

As she looked over the fresh wreckage of her bedroom, Riley was thankful then that no one else was present in the room. If she'd hurt someone again, even unintentionally perhaps killing them, she would _never _forgive herself. As all the words of Loki and her past tormentors ran through her head, it dawned on her that they were all right:

Things would never change. She was an uncontrollable monster, beyond help, regardless of Loki's teachings, and she would eventually lose herself within the rampant power of the beast.

...

Loki was usually able to keep his anger on a low, reasonable level. But given current circumstances, he dismissed all of his calm conduct. Drawing one of his pale hands back and balling it into a tight fist, he thrust a deep punch into the wall, creating a reasonable hole in the concrete material. The knuckles of his hand bled a little, but he paid it no mind.

The whole situation sickened him. If he had only been able to conquer Midgard as their King, if he had only killed Riley when he had the chance, if he had only fulfilled his glorious purpose...

If only.

Loki sighed deeply. He couldn't take _any_ of it—Riley's wounded expression, Riley's hurt words, Riley's clearly correct points—he was a fool.

What had happened to the uncaring, unfeeling God of Mischief?

But Riley had been right. Her words overwhelmingly lingered in the back of his mind, the ghost of something that happened under a minute ago already haunting him. She was indeed correct by all means: She was adopted, just like he was. She didn't realize she was until fairly recently, just as he didn't. She was an outcast and looked down upon for being different, like he was.

There was one thing Loki hated most in life, and that was admitting when he was wrong. Yet as he mulled over his own words, he realized more and more just how incredibly _wrong _he was. Riley had indeed suffered. She'd suffered the familiar pain of confusion, _and_ of losing someone close to her.

He'd assumed, for whatever reason, that Riley had forgotten about the Agent. Yes, he'd killed him. It was as easy as cutting a sheet of paper, but he hadn't foreseen the impact it would have. It had seemed that, over the course of their training, Riley had come to trust him more and dismiss the past. This was evidently not the case. He wondered if it was always in the back of her mind when he was around her, how often it bothered her to think about. It was foolish of him to think that she'd accept him after he nonchalantly took the man's life.

Perhaps she did indeed share in that feeling of loss. The Agent Coulson may not have been a close relative, but she had voiced before that he was a friend of hers. Loki himself wanted nothing but revenge on the Dark Elf that killed Frigga, nothing less than a slow and painful death...So then, is that was Riley wanted of him, as well? Did she wish upon him, her teacher, an agonizing death for what he'd done?

Loki gripped the side of his head in his hand, gritting his teeth hard. He _loathed _the regret that began to bubble up within him, the guilt at what had been done. Damn it, why didn't he just kill Riley before? He'd been given plenty of chances, and he could have cut her throat at ease! Then he wouldn't have to suffer this revolting, tugging emotion of remorse! Then she _and _the Agent would be dead and out of the way, so that he could continue with his plans uninterrupted, free from distraction...

This thought did not offer him the comfort and satisfaction he'd expected.

Loki repaired the hole in the wall at ease, with a simple wave of his hand. Glad that all of the Asgardians were busy repairing damages in one of the rooms below, Loki leaned against one of the walls near the door, hating the whole situation, overcome with grief and hatred at himself and the universe, and began to let the hot tears flow.

This wasn't how it was supposed to play out. _He_ was supposed to be the master manipulator, the puppeteer, not the puppet! Numbing himself raw to emotion had always worked before, but why not now? He was the one that was supposed to toy with people's minds, to prey on their fears and weaknesses, not actually _care _about the events around him!

How far the powerful God of Lies had fallen.

...

Riley remained incoherent and unresponsive as the Healer dabbed at her ear with a white cotton swab, which had been dipped in some sort of medical formula to help fight infection. The woman wrapped a white bandage around the torn area, then began to tend to her other wounds, washing away the dry blood with a damp cloth and sticking bandages all over her arms.

"This is good for getting rid of bruises quicker," the Healer suggested, handing her a small purple bottle. "Drink this twice a day, once in the morning and once at night."

Normally, Riley would be more wary of accepting the potion. She was still edgy around Healers, after the whole issue with Kane, but today she did nothing more than mumble a small "thank you" under her breath before taking the bottle.

Before leaving her bedroom, it had taken everything she had inside of her to will herself into a calm state, to prevent herself from hurting any of the other Asgardians.

Loki was probably still at the balcony, all alone and miserable. She had a feeling that her outburst had barely affected him, maybe fazing him for a second or two. He was most likely grieving right now, not thinking at all about the pain he'd caused her. It was selfish of her to want him to regret what he'd said to her, given that his adoptive mother had just been killed. She tried to not let it bother her too much, for fear of breaking down again.

Riley stood, gulping down a spoonful of the revolting purple medicine, and headed out into one of the main hallways on the ground floor. Usually, walking helped to clear her mind, so it was worth a shot.

Over half of the deserted hallway was demolished, save for a couple of paintings and some tall stain glass windows. Riley played with her hair as she walked, twisting a strand over and over again around her index finger, trying to block all emotion from traipsing into her mind.

"...can't believe your nerve!"

Riley jerked her head in the direction of the shriek. It was a shrill female voice, coming from one of the side rooms near a flight of stairs. She looked between the door and her current path, made up her mind, and moved toward the door, curiosity getting the better of her. She eased the wooden door open just a crack, so she could peer inside.

Odin stood in the middle of the room, pacing. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, looking blatantly heartbroken and angry. Riley had a feeling the girly shriek of anger hadn't been him, so that meant someone else was in the room with him. Rubbing her still-red eyes, Riley moved a bit, squinting. To her surprise, she saw the Enchantress Amora, facing Odin with a clearly affronted expression.

"Your services are no longer currently required," Odin said, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

_Services? _Riley leaned in closer, pressing her good ear up to the door.

"What's gone wrong?" The Enchantress hissed, her once pretty and mesmerizing blue eyes now darkening into red. "You can't just fire me from a position _you_ assigned me to!"

"Thor is head-over-heels for the woman," said Odin, exasperated. "All I asked of you was to split that connection, but clearly it cannot be done. Miss Foster has fallen ill, you see, due to something of the Dark Elves."

Riley frowned. Jane Foster was here, in Asgard, and _sick? _And unless she had misheard, did Odin mean that he had actually hired the Enchantress to break up Jane and Thor? That didn't sound right. She knelt down, listening hard.

"I found this to be a perfect opportunity to rid Thor of his affections, but it only fueled them. Now he is determined to save her, and he is even going to gather and train an army against them. But who am I to argue with him? They have now invaded my palace and murdered my wife."

The Enchantress flipped her hair and huffed. "That's not my problem. You asked me to do a job, and I am."

"If you wish to continue your attempts, be my guest." Odin shook his head slowly. "My son loves Miss Foster. Why he'd fall for a mortal woman is beyond me, but he refuses to cease his affections. You won't succeed."

"Oh, won't I?" The Enchantress raised a heavily inked eyebrow. "I'm already the perfect woman to any man, but if you insist that I need the help, I have a couple of potions that would surely help." She winked.

Odin leaned against the desk behind him and sighed. "Amora, should you not try this _after _this issue with the Dark Elves has been resolved? Thor is determined to make Jane well again, and I foresee a war in our near future. I do not need you to make my son a lovesick fool in the midst of this crisis."

"Oh, no! I wouldn't dream of that. You're right." The Enchantress grinned her pearly white teeth. "I'm a patient woman, don't fret. But when this is all said and done, Thor will turn his affections to _me."_

Riley backed away from the doorway, moving backwards down the hallway so that she would not be caught, should one of them decide to leave. What was Odin's problem with Jane Foster? Was it just the fact that she was a mortal? Or was there something more? Riley couldn't believe what she'd heard...How could the Allfather, the mighty ruler of Asgard, make a deal with that flirtatious _witch?_

_And _at the expense of his son, who, from what she gathered, was truly in love?

Riley wanted to spill everything to Thor, but what would happen then? Odin would certainly demand to know who had ratted him out, and seeing as he was the King, he would have the ultimate power to punish her. She could try asking Thor to keep it a secret, but what about Heimdall? What if Odin asked him about the matter, and Heimdall told him he saw Riley listening in?

Things were becoming _far _too complicated.

...

_I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, regardless of how late it was!_

_EvelynTheDictator: Thank you! But, um...Amora didn't poison Jane, it was the Dark Elves xD Sorry if that wasn't very clear!  
_

_Thebookworm96: Yeah, I know, I'm a mean writer sometimes :) But thank you so much! I'm really having a lot of fun writing this, and I'm glad you enjoy it!  
_

_Viv: Well, I'm glad you did! I'm afraid I probably lost a few people, due to potential spoilers, but I'm really happy you decided to stay! (: Yeah, sorry if the chapter was short; I sometimes write really small chapters, and then the next one is insanely long. I'm not very consistent haha  
_

_Stargazer1364: That was one of the spoilers I read online, yes. I have no idea if it's a rumor or not, but that's what I read! :(  
_

_Viktorskrumpet: You're welcome! Sorry for the terribly long wait, AGAIN. Yeah, Amora's pretty fun and annoying to write at the same time, and I hope you like my portrayal of her. And yeah, Riley has quite her share of anger issues at times, so she and Amora are definitely not going to get along. Yeah, as you can see from this chapter, Loki is a rollercoaster of problems. I hope I wasn't too out of character this chapter, but I wasn't entirely sure how Loki would cope with grief! And thank you!  
Riley really is a strong person usually, and she's certainly a bit of a warrior, but as you can often see, she's also very much human and therefore breaks down fairly easily.  
_

_Thanks again, loves!  
_


	18. Chapter 18

_Yeaaaaah, I'm guessing you all hate me right now. If I have any followers left, I'd like to sincerely apologize for this tremendously late update, and hope that, if you're still there, you'll enjoy this new chapter regardless. _

_Live long and prosper (sorry. I saw Stark Trek: Into Darkness recently)!_

_..._

Riley woke up every hour throughout the night, tossing and turning...Frightening dreams plagued her all through the night, waking her every hour, and each time she did so, she panicked, forgetting where she was. She drew the covers up closer to her chin as an icy chill nipped at the bare skin on her arms.

She fell back against her pillow, relieved to be out of her night's torments. With a yawn, she untangled herself from her bed sheets and headed for the bathroom, shutting the door locked behind her. She examined herself critically in the mirror, wrinkling her nose at the state of her hair, which was an utter mess of long brown locks, no doubt from her long, restless night's sleep.

The shower always proved incredibly difficult to manage, and she fumbled with the various faucets for a good three minutes before figuring them out, scalding herself with hot water in the process.

_Not a good start to today,_ she thought to herself when she finished, grabbing up an unused towel from the rack. She returned to the room, wrapping it tightly around herself, and rifled through her usual Asgardian attire, tossing it on before casting her gaze to the window.

Riley crossed the room to the glass windowpane, pulling back the gloomy curtains. It was still dark outside. The sun had not yet risen, which suggested not many Asgardians would be out and about.

Fresh air was definitely a necessity, but Riley's room was directly beside Loki's, blocking her easy path to freedom. Loki had a keen sense of hearing, and would therefore surely emerge if she were to leave the usual way. It was childish, but after yesterdays' event, she wanted to avoid any awkward confrontation with the mischief god.

_So, that's out. _She made a complete circle as she scanned the room before her eyes rested once again on the window. _Okay, I have to either be a genius or the biggest idiot to ever walk the Earth…or, well, Asgard._

Riley wandered back to the window and pried it open. A gust of wind picked up her hair, and she swallowed nervously as she slipped out, climbing uneasily down the side.

_Yeah, I'm leaning more toward idiot._ Riley edged her way down the wall, clinging to anything she could grab a hold of. From where she was, she could see Loki's own window in her line of vision, and a flash of fear crossed her face. She hadn't considered that.

But dawn had not yet reached Asgard, so the likelihood that Loki was awake at this hour was slim. She continued to descend the wall, clutching onto the bricks as she went.

"Going somewhere?"

She'd spoken—er, thought—too soon.

Riley gave an involuntary yelp, startled, and inadvertently let go of the wall, falling a good six feet before landing face-first in the grass.

_Aw, damn it,_ she thought, pulling herself up from the ground and dusting grass blades off of her skirt. She jerked her head up to look in the direction of the familiar velvet voice to see Loki peering down at her from his open window, the curtains now drawn back.

Loki's aura was deadly calm, almost gentle, even...But Riley didn't trust it. With Midgardians—er, humans (great, now I'm saying that, too!), Riley was able to detect emotions easily, and there was no way of altering one's thoughts. With Loki, however, Riley had a difficult time seeing through the magic surrounding him. Ever since he'd learned what her powers were, it seemed as though he clouded his real emotions from her.

"Um, yeah, kind of," Riley hollered back as she wiped at a bit of dirt on her face, unintentionally smearing it across her cheek. What was he doing up so early? And how did he know she was out there? Stupid early-bird. She thought she had been very sneaky and clever in the process of climbing out…She could hardly see his pale face through the blurred darkness, even as she squinted.

"I was just going to get some…some fresh air. Why's it any of your business?" she countered half-defensively, mostly upset that her "witty" plan had failed. She noticed he was already dressed as well, but she had not even heard him stir from his bed.

"Perhaps it is not," Loki answered, resting on his bare, pale arms on the window ledge, "but you chose an odd route to take to breakfast."

"Who said I was going to breakfast?" Riley called back, but her stomach gave an enormous groan a split-second later, contradicting her comeback. "Well, that's sorted out," she continued, taking a casual step away. "So. Bye."

Riley gave a short, awkward bow and scurried off across the grounds before he could respond, keeping her head low. She wasn't sure why she was acting so testy and cold toward him already; clearly Loki had already forgotten about their argument, so why couldn't she let it go?

There was a soft _thud! _

_Damn. It. All!  
_

"You should know that it's ill-mannered to leave a conversation before the other speaker is finished."

Riley clenched her hands once before glancing over her shoulder to look at Loki, who'd landed swiftly on the ground behind her. "Okay. What do you want, sir?"

Something flickered through Loki's emerald eyes at the word 'sir.' "I mean only to convey a message. As my 'student,' it would suit you well to pay attention to it."

"Right, fine. Go ahead," Riley sighed. She hoped the next words out of his mouth incorporated the words, "I'm" and "Sorry" within them, but the chance was unlikely.

"I spoke with Thor and the Allfather last night." Loki stood with his hands behind his back and his chin tilted upward. His expression suggested the words were distasteful to him. "There was considerable damage done by the Dark Elves, as you clearly know. Asgard must be rebuilt, but there is no assurance that we will not be attacked again. So," he continued smoothly, "by the Allfather's ultimate decision, we must seek out backup beyond our current forces.

"My _brother," _Loki sneered the word, "has been given the duty of putting together an army to defeat the Dark Elves. In the far, dark side of Asgard. But the only way he can do this is by crossing over to the Dark World, and the only way that he has access to the dark side of Asgard is through _me. _

"And so, to summarize a long and tedious chat with the Allfather," said Loki, "Thor and I have come to an...ah...'truce.'

Riley continued to stare at Loki, silently urging him to go on. When he didn't, she frowned. "And how does this concern me?"

"Because." Loki smirked. "You, my student, and the _lovely _Miss Foster are going to accompany us. Your own training with me shall continue on the way."

For a moment, Riley just simply looked from one green eye to the other uncertainly. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Me? You want _me_ to come help recruit an...an army?"

"I never implied that _I _wished you to come along," Loki snapped. "The Allfather thought it best that I continue to train you, and that, given that I am still under 'probation', I have someone else there to 'keep an eye' on me." He snorted derisively.

Riley crossed her arms across her chest. She couldn't find quite the words to respond with-was she really being asked to be stuck with Loki on a frickin' camping trip? Wandering around Asgard recruiting an army?

She had to admit-it was partly appealing. She was always fascinated by the other worlds and wished to explore them, but she would also be glued to and bickering with the God of Mischief.

"Isn't Jane ill?" said Riley at last, finally finding her voice.

"Yes. At the Dark Elves' hands."

"Then should she really come with us?"

Loki tsked at her. "She is not under a sickness as simple as your common cold; Miss Foster has been_ cursed,_ dimwit Her change in temperament causes her to act out, and she needs a close eye on her: Thor."

Riley nodded, trying to still maintain her casual, curt composure. "All right...So. I guess I should get packing some time soon, then."

With an abrupt turn, Riley strolled away from Loki, leaving him rooted on the spot. She had no real response to dignify him with...Had they had this conversations a few days prior to today, then maybe she would have been kinder. But her stubbornness refused to allow her to speak normally with Loki until he made some form of an apology to her.

...Even though Loki _had _in fact been in a fragile state...and his mother lay dead, whilst Riley regarded him coldly and in a dignified manner, leaving him alone even as he made a feeble attempt to try and reconcile things, even if only subtly...

_Wow. I really am the one in the wrong. _

...

"Ah, Riley!" Thor tugged her into a rib-crushing embrace, lifting her off of the ground. "Hello, friend. You're up early."

"I couldn't—sleep—" said Riley, gasping for air. The dining hall was busy with the usual crowd of early risers, but there were also a handful of people Riley didn't usually see around the court, helping lift some statues and tables back into place. The longest table was now repaired and filled with various breakfast foods.

Thor released his grip on her and Riley wobbled unsteadily, noticeably flustered.

"I do hope my brother has spoken with you?" he asked, his overall demeanor darkening.

"Yes." Riley placed one hand on his, frowning up at him. "My sincerest condolences, Thor. I promise I'll do whatever you wish me to when we recruit the warriors, to avenge your mother's death."

Thor placed a light, halfhearted kiss onto the knuckles off her hand. "Thank you. We are doing what we can to rebuild, but it will be difficult. My father and the rest of the kingdom will remain behind, to defend us from further attacks while we are away."

"I hope you don't mind, but I've sort of raided your library," Riley confessed sheepishly. "I have a handful of spell books and stuff from there, and from my _mentor__—" _She purposely swerved away from using his given name, "so I was wondering if I should bring them."

Thor nodded his assent. "Yes. It would be good to study up and prepare. You shall be continuing your practice with my brother on the way, so it is best if you brush up."

Riley hesitated. "Thor, by the way..."

"Hm?" Thor's cobalt eyes glimmered in the early morning light.

Riley bit her lip as she looked up at him. She desperately wanted to say something about the words exchanged between Amora and Thor's father, but she couldn't bring herself to. She was too afraid of what Odin would do if he found out.

"Never mind."

"No, no. What were you going to say?"

"Um..." Riley looked away. "Tell your father I'm sorry for his loss." _Coward._

"Thank you. I shall."

As Thor moved to speak with Sif, Riley stepped aside and grabbed up a pastry. She tried to not listen in to their conversation, but she inadvertently caught bits and pieces of it here and there. Apparently, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three would be the main guards while they were gone, helping to protect the kingdom from further invasions. Magical barriers would have to be put up, walls would need to be made...

"Oh, hello there."

Startled, Riley peered over shoulder, with a second pastry half stuffed into her mouth, to see none other than the Enchantress approaching. Riley stiffened and nearly choked on the pastry. _Oh no._ Oh no no no! Had Riley been caught by her the previous night, overhearing her conversation with Odin?

But Amora regarded her with little more than a pink-lipped smirk. "You're in my way. Shouldn't you be off trailing after your master's feet?"

Riley swallowed the last of her pastry and glared at her. So now she was using mouse jokes _and _dog ones. Excellent.

The Enchantress whistled. "Go on then, shoo, mongrel. I need to speak with Thor."

Riley crossed her arms firmly over her chest. "Shut up, prostitute."

Clearly Amora had no idea what 'prostitute' meant, but she didn't like it. Her eyes narrowed. Then she bent her head a little, leaning toward her, and whispered in a hushed voice that only Riley could hear, "Keep stepping your toes out of line and I will _end you, _you fat Bilgesnipe. Now get out of the way."

Affronted, Riley clenched her hands into such tight fists that her nails drew blood in the palms of her hands. She could feel a burning sensation heating in her hands as a surge of power began to escalate—the same familiar sensation of loss of control she'd experienced before. She was on the verge of snapping the woman's neck when Thor stepped between them.

"Afternoon, Amora," he said, a little surprised to see her as he ran a hand through his golden beard. "What brings you here?"

Amora faked a pleasant smile, but her eyes darted threateningly in Riley's direction. "Oh, just wanted a little chat."

Thor looked between the two, unconvinced that nothing had happened between them, judging by Riley's curled lip and nearly-flaming eyes, but he nodded regardless. He thumped a calloused hand onto Riley's shoulder.

"Riley? I would like a word with Miss Amora here, please. Why don't you finish packing?"

Although she wanted nothing more than to pounce on Amora and show her what this 'fat Bilgesnipe' could do, she sighed reluctantly and nodded. "All right." Technically, she should be thankful that Thor had saved her from flying off the handle (and further proving Loki's and all the other Asgardian's point that she had no control over herself).

As Thor watched Riley head back up to her chambers, he could see Amora saunter closer out of the corner of his eyes. "Let us speak in the hallway." Thor led her out of the crowded room, partially shutting the door for privacy. "What is it that you wanted?"

"Must you go on this silly little mission?" she asked, getting her point across from the start. There was no point in beating around the bush. Amora half-shut her heavy eyelashes and made a point of leaning against one of his muscular arms. "I am sure the troops will be able to handle it. Have you such little confidence in them?"

"It is not a matter of trust," Thor returned, ignoring her obvious advances. They were enough to make Fandral, Volstagg and even Hogun tend to her every desire, but Thor had no interest. "I have utmost confidence that they would do nothing less than their best. But we need back-up."

"But Thor, what if you are hurt whilst on the mission?" Amora pouted. She fingered his arm lightly with the tips of her fingers, smiling coyly.

"That is a risk that must be taken." Without another word, Thor edged his arm back, turned curtly away from her, and made his way down the empty hall.

The surprised Enchantress watched him go, until he rounded the corner. Then she spit angrily. Her gorgeous blonde locks fell in deep curls around her shoulders, waving slightly as though carried upward by an unseen wind.

"If that's how you want to play it, fine," she hissed, digging her pink-painted nails into the wall adjacent to her. "Hard to get. Yes, that's fine...After all, what's the point in pursuit if there isn't a bit of a challenge?"

She raked her nails across the wall as her full pink lips upturned into a wicked smile. "I will get to you, Thor. Maybe not now, maybe not in the next week, even in the next month-but you _will_ be mine. An Enchanter _always_ gets what she wants."

And with that, Amora released her hand from the wall, tossed her hair aside with a smile, and trotted down the hallway in an upbeat manner, leaving deep claw marks behind in the concrete wall.

...

"Stupid Amora," Riley muttered disdainfully as she tucked a quill and a sheet of paper into a bag Sif had given her. "I'm not—well..." She surveyed herself in a nearby mirror. She didn't regard herself as what most would consider fat—definitely an ideal weight, but no, not fat. But then again, she had once considered herself pretty, too, back in elementary school. Back when she was naive and innocent, back when she had confidence in herself, before everything was shattered.

Riley stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wondered what problems "normal" women had her age. She'd always struggled to fit in both physically and emotionally, given her fits of rage and such that always ended in disaster. She was like the Hulk—a ticking time bomb just waiting to be set off. Sometimes she wondered whether the "superhero" life was worth it, or whether her life would have been better as a full-blood, run-of-the-mill human.

Shutting her eyes, Riley clenched one hand against the desk and shoved the thoughts away. There was no point in wallowing in her own self-pity. After all, she should be considering the things she did have: Friends, life in another realm, the chance to save the world, super-human abilities that most humans would kill for...

She absentmindedly wiped away dry blood from where she'd dug her nails into her hand, wincing a little. _I'm even a hazard to myself._

As Riley moved a stack of books away from her writing desk, she saw a flash of off-white out of the corner of her eye: A sheet of parchment. With a slight frown, Riley lifted it up curiously and unfolded it twice to find a neatly-written letter from Loki:

_Miss Harrow,_

_Meet me in the tower above the library at a quarter to eight. _

_-Loki._

Simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less. Riley sighed heavily as she re-folded the letter and placed it on her desk. She had a feeling Loki wanted to speak with her about their last encounter after the fight—she'd been immaturely dodging him ever since, and he probably wanted to put an end to it. Whether an apology would be included, Riley wasn't certain.

_Oh, just suck it up and go, _Riley told herself. _You can't just run off crying and give Loki the silent treatment every time he says something that hurts you._

And even if he didn't apologize, then maybe one was in order on her part.

...

Loki stood in a far corner of the tower, his back to the door. He leaned against the wall beside him, one hand propped up under his chin as he overlooked the balcony.

If he was going to be stuck on this journey with Riley, then he would just have to dismiss his pride for the time being. His behavior before was less than impressive, and he wished to amend things with his student. The task was just _so difficult _sometimes, trying to get through her thick skull and stubborn actions.

Loki exhaled. As his breath hit the top of his knuckles, they became tinged blue for a moment before fading back to their usual pallid color. He curled his lip in disgust at it. Monsters, the lot of them...If Thor had just let him destroy the revolting race before, then none of this would have happened. He would have been king. An _excellent _King at that, surely better than Thor. But no. Now he was a mere criminal, a common Asgardian with no proper title to hold, and—

_a monster._

Loki flexed his fingers, making sure all the blue from his true form had faded. His pale eyes traveled up to the sun, studying the time. His apprentice would be arriving any minute now, and he would have to prepare himself to act apologetic, not bitter. That would be no problem though, right? He was the God of Lies; deceit therefore came easily for him, so he could surely whip up a deeply sincere apology for the woman. Hopefully, the whole situation would be resolved in a matter of minutes and things could return to "normal."

There was the sudden movement of feet behind him. Loki smirked. Riley should know better than to try and sneak up on him—he'd told her before, hadn't he?  
He always knew when someone was there, save for maybe that one instance with the Romanoff agent.

"Harrow," he acknowledged, half-turning slightly to offer her a thin-lipped smile.

But he was not greeted with the usual playful grin or admittedly amusing, childish glower of annoyance.

It was Amora.

"Why so surprised?" Amora purred, offering Loki a wink. "I already told you I was interested in you—did you think my advances would just halt?"

"And I already expressed to you that I have no interest to return," Loki answered smoothly.

The Enchantress sauntered closer, giggling. "Now now, we both know _that's _not true, love."

Loki kept his expression blank. "I last spotted Thor wandering the dining hall. Perhaps you would have better luck there?"

"Now why would you think that?"Amora knew that Loki was seeing through her lie, but she was relentless. An Enchanter had their own kind of magic in these matters, so if she continued to slowly form a cloud over Loki's own magic, then maybe she would be able to convince him eventually.

Loki's green eyes glittered in the beginnings of ascending moonlight. "You should not keep him waiting."

"Loki, you don't understand, do you?" It was time to turn on her full charm. Amora extended her index and middle finger, which she cupped under Loki's chin, tilting it upward. She blinked her gorgeous blue eyes up at the prince, faking a light blush and casting a hasty charm in her head, one that would (hopefully) help her case and force Loki into being attracted to her. _"You _are the object of my affections. I. Want. _You."_

There was the sudden slam of an outer door a few rooms away._  
_

Perfect timing! Amora had a knack for that sort of thing...There was no mistaking the barbaric manner with which Thor used when opening doors. She counted out four exact seconds, calculating exactly when the door to their current room would swing open.

_Bam!_

Oh, there was the nearest door! Right on schedule. Such predictable creatures men were.

Amora seized a very startled Loki around the shoulders (which was no easy task-he towered over her in height) and forced him to lock lips with her. She shut her eyes, feigning an expression of sheer bliss, and passionately kissed the God of Mischief with all she had, running her hands carelessly through his dark hair.

"Hey, Loki, are you in he—"

_Clatter!_

Amora's eyes flew open. That was most certainly _not _Thor's voice, let alone a male's.

Riley Harrow stood frozen in the doorway, shell-shocked with her jaw hung slightly askew. Her wide brown eyes focused on Amora, then Loki, then Amora again.

Amora was somewhat annoyed—her plan to enrage Thor and send him into a fit of jealousy had failed, but the mousy woman's obvious disbelief was amusing enough to make up for it.

Oh well. This was part of her plan, anyway, was it not? She was the cat, Riley was the mouse. How jealous the mongrel was, how deliciously envious! It was all etched into her face, as plain as the light of day.

Instead of acknowledging her presence, Amora regarded Riley as no more than an inanimate object in the room, incapable of watching, of thinking. Wishing to milk the girl's jealousy for all it was worth, she furthered her snog with Loki, adding as much over-the-top-compassion as she could muster, running her tongue along his cold lips. _Disgusting,_ she mused.

"Oh._ Oh_, um...I-I-I-" The mouse stammered. The color in her face deepened. "S-sorry to interrupt, um..um...th-this." With her hands held in front of her, Riley bowed hastily, her movements awkward, and dashed from the room before either one could say anything.

Amora smirked._ Perfect._

But to her honest surprise, Loki broke the kiss roughly and, taking her by the shoulders, relocated her a good few feet away from him. "What in hell are you playing at, Amora?" he snarled, his emerald green eyes flashing with anger. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

Amora returned his look bemusedly. "What do you mean? It's not my fault that rodent can't take a little competition—" She brushed the tips of her fingers against the side of his cheek.

"That _rodent _is my student, and you have just run her off," Loki spat back furiously, slapping her hand sharply away from him. "I think you should reconsider your own self before making hypocritical comments regarding other people.

"And keep your filthy tongue out of my mouth," he added coldly as he swept from the room, slamming the door behind him with great force.

The Enchantress stood behind in the middle of the room, staring after him with shocked blue eyes. Then red.

"I see," she murmured, clicking her nails against the side of her thigh. "So _that's_ how it is. The mouse has not only fallen for the snake, the snake has fallen for the mouse. How _darling_."

Amora laughed melodically, her pretty eyes lit with delight. So it seemed she'd have to go to more desperate measures. Thor and his brother were about to leave on their mission, so there would be nothing for her to do while they were gone. But when they returned, she would make certain that Loki would fall for her head-over-heels, even if it took a spell here or a love potion there...and from this, Thor, driven with jealous rage, would further the sibling rivalry against him, become Amora's, and leave Loki as her own personal toy on the side. Not to mention shatter the heart of the rodent, who she'd begun to dislike more and more at this point.

And she'd already managed to do plenty of damage for one day, if she did say so herself.

Laughing again, Amora stalked off and into the darkness of the room, vanishing from sight of any onlookers.

...

Well now, this was _just fantastic_. Loki had meant to amend his rude behavior before, not hurt her _more. _Surely Riley thought he'd meant for her to see it, thought that he was just trying to be cruel to her now. It was like a slap in the face.

But what bothered him most was that this was what the God of Mischief wanted in the first place anyway, wasn't it? To play with the half-blood, to mess with her head and tear her apart like he did with everyone.

And yet he found no gratification in Riley's stung expression and tears.

It really got under his skin, how much the woman was able to get to him. The damn half-blood had just strutted into his life like a wrecking ball, ruining his usually naturally calm and sophisticated demeanor, shredding his uncaring, callous personality. He wanted to delight in her sorrow. He wanted to drink in the deliciousness of her misery as he always had before with others, but he found himself unable to obtain any satisfaction whatsoever.

Loki stormed his way up the corridor. His long, handsome green cape billowed behind him as he ascended the stairs to Riley's room. He just wanted to apologize twice now for both situations (as much as it sickened him to do so) and be done with it all already. He was sick of the woman dodging him every chance she got, he was sick of the revolting guilt plaguing him, and he was sick of having a lack of control over things.

When he reached Riley's bedroom door, he knocked heavily on it. There was a pause. Loki lifted his hand to knock again when there was a soft reply: "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

"You should address your teacher in a more respectable manner," Loki barked back at her through the door. He immediately regretted the decision, remembering he was supposed to be there to offer words of comfort, to the best of his ability.

"Shut up!" Riley shouted back. Her voice shook just a little.

Loki banged on the door again. "Open up."

"I'm busy!"

"If I have to break this door down, you'll be the done paying for the damages!" He felt as though he were arguing with a child.

There was silence for a moment. Then the door slowly opened inward and Riley appeared, her eyes cast downward to her feet. "I'm a writer. I can't afford to pay for your fancy shit on that kind of salary," she muttered grudgingly. Her hair was slightly disheveled, looking wind-tossed, and she was covered in black ink.

Loki raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.

"I was a little frustrated with—with packing my bag, okay? When I blow up, I lose control. The window blew open and attacked my hair. And a bottle of ink exploded. Okay?" Riley sounded thoroughly annoyed, but he could tell she was also hurt; the corners of her eyes were wet.

"Look." Loki exhaled through his teeth. "My behavior was...not very appropriate before. When you spoke with me after the battle with the Dark Elves."

Riley blinked, blatantly bemused. "Oh...yeah. Right. It wasn't. No, wait!" She shook her head. "What I mean is, I shouldn't have approached you then. It was my fault, not yours."

Loki stared at her. "Do not attempt to take the blame."

"But it was my own doing—"

"Well, I shouldn't have acted out, all right?" Loki snapped. He certainly wasn't used to trying to make amends with people. "And as far as Amora and I—"

Riley flushed red. "Oh—that." She looked somewhat annoyed now; she probably still thought he'd set the whole thing up on purpose.

"Yes, _that._ It wasn't—"

"Why are you telling this to me?" Riley demanded. She was avoiding his eyes again. "I don't have anything to do with your personal business, sir."

"Would you just listen to me?" Loki hissed. "It wasn't what you were probably thinking."

Riley crossed her arms firmly over her chest and turned somewhat away from him. "Riiight."

Loki's eyes flashed slightly. "Don't make this difficult—"

"Look, why should I care what you do on your own time?" Riley snapped back at him. It felt as though he were rubbing salt on her wounds; she didn't want to think about the scene she'd just scene play out before her, of Loki and Amora locked in a passionate snog.

Loki grit his teeth. "I am just attempting to clarify what was really going on—"

"Tell it to someone who cares."

"You are acting like an irrational child!" Loki snarled.

"You're the one who was sticking your_ 'silver tongue'_ down the throat of some skinny-waisted slut!" Riley roared back, without thinking.

She cupped a hand to her mouth in shock, clearly stunned by what she'd said. The silence that followed her shout nearly suffocated her. A great flush of red overwhelmed her face and she ducked back over to her bag, hastily stuffing her belongings into it.

"Miss Harrow..." Riley could hear Loki step up a foot or so behind her.

"No, no! I didn't say anything. I didn't. Say. Anything." Riley was nearly on the verge of tears again, but she forced herself to not let a single drop fall. Not again. She resorted to collapsing into a heap of miserable crying every time Loki did something to upset her, and she had to put a stop to it. Clearly he was enjoying making her utterly miserable and hate herself, and she was only helping him with his own personal satisfaction by sobbing over whatever he did.

Loki's anger was beginning to rise—both at her, and at the situation. Riley was dismissing both him and his forced, uncharacteristically kind apologies. She was obviously hurt and attempting to not show it, but her stubbornness was beginning to drive him mad.

"Miss Harrow—"

"No! No, let's just drop it, okay?" Riley's face was a deep crimson now. "Forget I said anything."

"Listen to me—" Loki ordered, feeling much like he did before with the Midgardians in Stuggart.

"I don't want to talk to you—" Riley turned her back on him and attempted to move away, but he followed suit, tracking her about the room.

"I'm trying to apolog—"

"Go away—"

"Harrow—"

_"Just leave me alone_—"

_"Harrow!"_ Loki's eyes flashed red-orange and he roughly grabbed hold of Riley's wrist to stop her from moving.

Riley yelped loudly and recoiled, writhing slightly as she attempted to retract her hand from his grip. Equally startled, Loki released her arm, realizing what he'd done; his hand had become an icy blue color, and on her wrist, there were thin black burn marks, sizzling slightly.

"Damn." Loki's face became, if possible, even more pale than before. "If Loki were anything like his "brother," he would've flipped the nearest desk as he realized what he'd done. "Harrow, I'm—I'm truly sorry..."

"What...what did you do?" Riley was staring at her arm, more confused than frightened now. "Ow!" she added as she touched the raw area with her other hand.

At least he finally had her full attention now. "I..." Loki cleared his throat. "Frost Giant..." He realized he wasn't making any sense, but it seemed his silver-tongue had turned to lead. "Never mind. Are you all right?"

"Y...yeah," she said, examining her wrist. "I think I'm fine. But geez, I know I was being kind of bitchy, but you didn't have to burn me!"

"I didn't—" Loki began, before realizing she was joking. She'd even managed a weak smile.

"I'll call for a Healer, all right?"

Riley nodded once. "Right. Sounds, um, good. Sorry," she added, shifting awkwardly. The pain in her arm was swelling a little now.

Loki knit his eyebrows. "For what? Getting burned?"

Riley laughed. "No, no! For not listening. I was acting like a jerk to you...again."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Why don't we just settle this finally? Look, you have nothing to be sorry for, Miss Harrow. Not for anything. I normally have more control over myself than this, it's just...after her passing—" He shook his head, suppressing any thoughts of Frigga that were trying to invade. "As for that last incident: It was nothing." He waved one hand dismissively. "I assure you I had every intent of merely having a conversation with you, not the Enchantress. She...ah...forced herself upon me." He curled his lip in distaste.

"Oh." Riley looked dumbstruck at this point, unable to think of a good response. "Oh."

Loki used the side of his hand to wipe away some of the ink on Riley's cheek. She cringed away when he touched her skin.

"Don't worry," he assured her, rolling his eyes again. "It only burned you because I..." He cleared his throat again uncomfortably, "because I let my emotions get the better of me."

There was another uncomfortable silence. Riley's skin was still burning peculiarly where Loki's hand had made contact with her cheek—and not because of his Frost Giant half.

Loki stood. "I should get that Healer..."

"Wait." Riley grabbed his arm (hesitantly, as though afraid she might somehow burn herself again). "It's fine."

Loki shot her a weird look. "Certainly not. Your wrist's—"

"No, yeah, I mean, you should definitely still get the Healer," said Riley, sitting upright to look him in the eye, "but for the sake of your already-damaged status and probation...this was an accident on my part."

"What?" Loki's green eyes flickered, puzzled.

"Meaning...we were training. Or I was, by myself." Riley offered him a small smile. "I was being reckless, trying to train without my teacher's assistance, and I burned myself with a new spell I was trying out."

It was as though Loki had been clobbered upside the head by Thor's hammer. Riley was actually offering to...twist the story around? So that the Healers (who were already nervous around him enough) wouldn't charge him for hurting someone?

Loki crossed his arms over his gold-plated chest as he looked on at her, trying to thank her but unable to find the right way to phrase it. Asgardians didn't typically do that kind of thing for each other, especially not for him, and he wasn't used to it.

Riley was indeed a strange and peculiar one.

"Look, why don't we call it even?" Riley asked suddenly.

Loki frowned over at her. "Why?"

Riley grinned. "Because just one or two apologies from you equals more than one thousand apologies from anyone else."

Loki's expressionless face faltered. Then the corners of his lips upturned slightly, but not in his usual mocking way. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." Riley stood, taking care to not bump the burn on her wrist against anything. "You're still an arsehole, though."

...

_This chapter was kind of fluffy, but y'know, what's a story without some? I hope you liked it anyway (: Also, sorry the POV kind of shifted a lot; it was difficult to manage at times.  
_

_ORgasmicPigeon: Thank you! I think the Dark Elves are pretty cool, too. Which is another of many reasons why I'm so excited for Thor 2 to come out! _

_EnyaandEathenyl: Thanks!(:_


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